Unconditional
by CheshireNeko122
Summary: A Newfound form for Ulquiorra! He becomes a hollow, and escapes to Huevo Mundo. Will he become an Arroncar? Will the Soul Reapers slay him? So many changes, how will he ever make it! lots of Chapters, don't worry, they're short.
1. Chapter 1: A Startled Awakening

I was running. It was unbearably cold, so cold I was wondering how I could still run. I could feel it coming, rippling up my back and coursing through my veins. I couldn't do it. The chain was too short. I wasn't going to make it. As I felt the cold grip my body, I fell to the ground, a cluster of spasming limbs. As the last pieces of this dear chain fell away, I felt my consciousness slip, replaced by something sinister, evil. My face began to melt away, along with it my control, myself. I was becoming a hollow.

I tried to get to my feet, but I was slammed to the ground by my own being. My vision was tunneling. I would never see this world the same way again. I knew I'd kill my family first. A thought that sent adrenalin through my morphing veins. I wouldn't let it happen. I would fight it. I was better than this. But turns out, there's no going back. Once you're a monster, you stay one.

It was done. I stood up, in my new enormous form. It was disgusting. I was like any other hollow. I mask of bone upon my face and course skin along my back. But what was weird is that I felt disgust in myself. Hollows don't have opinions. Then again, I could control my actions and have conscious thought. What was wrong with me? I didn't want to eat anyone's soul or eat anything. And it felt strange. Maybe I was special.

With my new-found ability, I decided to strive to be the best, even if it was the wrong side. With my increased intellect, I knew of the Eronkars and how they had human bodies. Maybe if I got one of those, I could regain a normal life. I mulled around town, fascinated that no one could see me. I still felt like Ulquiorra Shiffer, senior at Karakura high-school. I still felt human. With a sliver of grief, I reminded myself that I was dead and would stay that way.

There was a cluster of Menos staggering around, and I knew that Menos had to take a portal from Weakomundo to the human world. So I stayed with them until they returned to their wretched grounds. It was strange, at first. The spiraling black trees all around me felt like they were closing in, crushing me with every step. But soon it felt like home. I punished myself for even beginning to think of this place as friendly, and regained my goal of Rising to the top. I began to kill.


	2. Chapter 2: Amongst Angels

I had gotten stronger. I had graduated many levels in my one-month visit. I had been a hollow at first, then a bigger hollow, then a Menos. During my Menos existence, I had to fight for consciousness amongst all the other souls trapped in this body. There were little girls, and cold-blooded serial killers all mixed into one being. During my 11th turn, I killed a particularly annoying hollow. He was always jumping on everyone and cracking everyone's masks. We were glad he was gone.

Then, I started to shift. I broke away from the Menos, finally getting my own body. I took the shape of a dragon-like hollow, with wings and fangs and poison-steeped talons. Now that I had evolved, I could travel along the sand-ridden slopes of Weakomundo. I scrabbled through the exit, despite all my brothers' warnings and escaped to the outer world. It was silent, and an eerie feeling of death and traps hung in the air like cigarette smoke.

I flew through the smoggy skies, killing anything I saw. I became the predator. The other evolved ones feared me. I liked it. On one of my trips, a man with a bone like mask appeared before me.

"Ulquiorra. You have demonstrated your strength throughout your existence as a hollow. You have been granted the chance to be an Eronkar." He beamed. He was trembling slightly.

Since I had lost the ability to speak long ago, I nodded my head in agreement. Following him back into the enormous castle, I was surrounded by a group of the mysterious masked men. They morphed my body into that of a human's, with one exception: a mask of bone all Eronkars had to wear.

I had a medium-like status amongst the Eronkars. I wasn't bullied, but I wasn't respected either. And I wasn't happy at all. This was the worst decision I had ever made. My body writhed with agony, and something was always hurting. Voices in my head told me to kill things, while others told me to kill myself. I couldn't take it.

I went to the human world to try and find solace to no avail. I didn't kill anyone, no; I'd keep my 'good Eronkar' status. I mulled around all day and all night, finding no peace. I thought I'd kill myself. Then I came upon a group of soul reapers. Good, they could do it for me. Kneeling in submit, I enjoyed their confused looks. But yet I still wasn't killed.

I heard them speak in a transmitter, something about testing. And then I was taken to the soul-society and chained to a wall in a jail. I was going to be a testing subject. Somehow, I was glad I was betraying my own race. It felt nice to help someone on the good side.


	3. Chapter 3: Mirrors of Menace

_I was swallowed by blackness. I gazed into the mirror before me, seeing my true self. I was a human, or as close to one as I could be._

"_You are a monster." It whispered. "You will never be able to help anyone. The only means to your existence is to inconvenience people." _

_But that's not true…I thought. I'm helping the soul reapers…_

"_You disgust me." It taunted. Its voice was like shattering glass, like the strings being plucked on a violin._

_Suddenly outraged at this figment of myself, I smashed the mirror with my fists and took pleasure in the thought that I would wake up. But I didn't. The glass shards spiraled away, each one holding a picture of myself. It chuckled maniacally, revealing eyes dripping blood and death. The shards shot towards me, piercing my flesh, burning my skin. I could feel the cold glass; see my crimson blood leaving me. I was falling downward. Images flashed by me, my family's pain-stricken faces, their bodies warping into hollows._

"_No-!" I tried to yell, but my voice was lost, whipped away from me. I fell to the ground, the shards of glass holding me to the floor._

"_Hehehe. You will always be trapped in this body. This body that is yours but is not. You will forever be lost. Forever searching. Forever…" its voice was like the shattering glass of the mirror, its words untraceable, like smoke from a fire._

I was awake. Cold sweat dotted my forehead, my un-beating heart tensing in my chest from the adrenaline. It was like I was there. I could still feel the dull pain of being impaled, the menacing voice of my inner self running laps in my head. I pulled my robes away from my chest, revealing several lines, like scars from forgotten wounds. Those hadn't been there before.

I groaned in protest as the doors to my cell flung open, rattling the foundation.

"Get up, filth." I was ordered by a gruff voice, which belonged to a man with spiky hair.

Caught off-guard, I looked up in disbelief. Who was speaking to me? My confusion was taken as non-compliance, and I was hauled to my feet by unfriendly hands. Chains bound my feet and hands together, and a collar around my neck. I was hassled outside into the blinding sunlight, recoiling backwards as if I hadn't seen it in years. It seared my eyes and left me seeing dancing spots that evaded my vision when I tried to focus on them.

I was being taken through a courtyard of people. It was so quiet, other than the hushed murmurs about the monster the soul-reapers had taken in, and how disgusting it was. I glanced to both my sides to see black-clad warriors, each toting a sword. I heard from somewhere that they were called 'Zanpachtos', and that they'd make quick work of me. Eronkars had them too, but they were sinister and evil. They still served the same purpose as soul-reapers, but instead of sending spirits to the Roukon District, it immediately turned them into hollows. Mine was called The Dark Lance, a spear-like weapon that radiated a poisonous purple light.

I was dragged inside a dim-lit cabin filled with researchers and soul-reapers. I was strapped to a cot with tight, metal braces and heard a monotone voice say: "Let's begin your testing."


	4. Chapter 4: Testing Time

The cold metal froze my skin, seeping ice into my veins. The circulation in my hands was depleting, and I could feel my fingers going numb.

"Testing?" I inquired, groggy from my previous nightmare.

"Why, of course." Said the scientist. "You belong to the Soul Society now, and you can never go back to where you came. We are going to use you to find new ways to defeat hollows, using different weapons, like bombs and enhanced Zanpachtos." He explained.

There was nothing I could do, so I just nodded my head in agreement.

"Oh, good! He's so co-operative! We thought we'd have to sedate you, you little bugger!" the scientist exclaimed with glee. "Now; this is a very simple test. The leader of our science division has come up with several concoctions of brain-tweaking pheromones. We are going to test each and every one on you, and you are going to tell us exactly how they make you feel! Mmk?" he inquired, grinning like a cat.

"Yes." I responded. What else was there to say?

"Great! Our leader didn't take the incentive of labeling these things, so we'll just have to pick random ones." He huffed, picking up a red bottle and examining it.

They inserted a plastic medical tube into a vein in my wrist, and proceeded to hook up the other end to a strange machine. "Ooh, I'm so excited! I've been looking forward to this all day!" exclaimed the scientist.

The placed a green-tinted bottle into the machine, and turned it on. It sucked the liquid out of the bottle and directed it into my vein. I was instantly overcome with the feeling of wanting to suck the lives out of living beings and add them to my collection.

"Soooo? How do you feeeel?" he asked in a sing-songy voice.

"It makes me want to devour human souls." I answered, trying to suppress the pheromones.

"Oh, my! Well, then, that one is useless." He said, plucking it out of the machine and setting it aside. "Next one!" he squealed, putting a new one into the slot.

I felt an immense anger towards everything. Towards the scientists, towards the soul reapers, towards myself. I felt like destroying everything and then rebuilding it just so I could destroy it again.

"Now, what do you feel?" he asked.

My muscles tensed under the braces and my eyes grew sharp and dark. "I feel angry." Was all I said.

"Oh, dear. Another dud. I wonder how many of these are useless?" he pondered, stroking his chin. "Well, let's try some more."

My veins already felt stretched and worn out, over used and tired. We had only done 2 bottles, out of perhaps 100. _Endure it. _I thought. _You're tough._

We went through several concoctions that made me wish against my existence. One made me feel like every fiber of my being was screaming out in rejection. Another made me want to eat strawberries. One made me see shapes slithering across the walls and ceiling, and another sent me into a coma. At the end of the day, I must have tried over 50, and I was exhausted. I had to be dragged back to my jail-cell where I prayed they'd let me lie on the floor instead of chained to a wall. Too bad.

For my evening meal, I was given only one apple and a cup of water. The water was stale and flavorless and the apple was pockmarked with bruises. It was going to be a long forever, I thought…


	5. Chapter 5: Chance at Life

The days dragged on and so did my unfortunate testing. They had noticed my well-being had declined since my arrival to the point of broken bones and unnatural bruising. They considered giving me a break, but instead, confronted me in my cell. A light toe to the ribs woke me up to an angry looking soul reaper as well as a few scientists.

"Iwnnashlpp..." I mumbled, my eyelids glued to my cheeks.

"What? What did he say?" they murmured to each other. "I think he said something about slipping..."

"I wanna sleep..." I mumbled again, using correct pronunciation.

"We need to speak with you. It is extremely urgent." The head scientist spoke, his forehead beaded with sweat.

They all looked at each other, deciding whether this was OK or not.

"We're accepting you into the soul society academy." One of them blurted.

I struggled to a sitting position, and grasped my chest as an old wound opened and fresh blood stained my robes. "Academy? Isn't that where the soul reapers learn things?" I coughed.

They all seemed alarmed at my opened wound, but I didn't mind. It was just a flesh wound.

"Yes. Ulquiorra Shiffer, we have granted you the chance to become a soul reaper. You already have a Zanpachto, it's just if you pass, you won't be able to pacify new souls. You will learn the spells all soul reapers know, and you will be sorted into a squad. Who knows, if your skills are exemplary, you may become a squad leader someday. You will still be under testing order of the science division, but you'll just be a soul reaper, too." He informed me. Why was I being given such a chance? Doubt clouded my mind like algae seeping into a clear pond.

Struggling to sit more comfortable against my wall, I looked them all in the eye. "I accept your offer." I squeaked. "On one condition."

They all looked at each other as if they hadn't expected me to speak at all. "And what is that?" they all said in unison.

"I want to be considered a normal soul reaper and not an Eronkar hybrid thing. I want my own little house, like all the other soul reapers have. My testing will be restricted to only up to 2 hours a day and I will be able to eat meals and be around all the other soul reapers." I listed.

They all looked confused as if I'd asked to rip my own mask off and use it to beat off my lower half. After some thinking, they all agreed my conditions were understandable and that I could have what I wanted. The only condition they wanted was examples in learning classes, specialized hollow-hunting skills, a follower at all times to make sure I wasn't getting into mischief, and continued compliant testing. I agreed to said conditions and was taken from my cell to get cleaned up. I was going to be a soul reaper.


	6. Chapter 6: A Little Game

The rules were simple. I didn't kill anyone, and I could be any kind of soul reaper I wanted. Seemed easy enough. I didn't even want to kill anybody, so that would be easy. I was introduced to the mass of soldiers at dinner the next day.

"Attention, everyone! Meet Ulquiorra, our new soul reaper apprentice!" my guide had said. The room was so silent you could hear the drunks mumbling in their sleep. All of their eyes were as large as their sake cups, and their faces just as white. I could take a hint. They were all scared of me.

My first day of soul reaper training was quite interesting. I was escorted to a room with a mass of what must have been 20 people, all shocked faces. They probably knew they'd be training with me. But our teacher welcomed me with a smile on his face. "Okay, everyone! Let's start today's training!" he spouted vigorously.

"The rules are simple. Ulquiorra, I hope you don't mind, but you'll be our training subject for today's practises." He rambled.

"I don't mind at all." I mumbled. I really didn't. I just wanted to be a soul reaper already.

"Okay. So- Today, we're playing a good old-fashioned game of hide and seek! But with a TWIST! Ulquiorra, you have teleportation powers or something, right?" he said, looking to me.

"Um, yes sir." I blurted, caught off-guard.

"Perfect! So, we'll all start in the courtyard of the training house. Ulquiorra, you'll teleport anywhere in the Roukon District, or the Soul Society. Then, you'll get all sneaky and hide somewhere. Make sure you release some of your hollow-stink, so our apprentices can use their natural senses to try and find you. Then, once they do, you'll alert the rest of us, and we'll meet wherever you hid. After we assemble, you and the apprentice who found you will start sword fighting with your wooden swords! The objective is to disarm your opponent, because if you don't have a weapon, you're dead! If Ulquiorra wins, he'll go and hide again while the losing soul reaper waits back at the training house. If the soul reaper wins, then this exercise is over. Understand?" He bellowed, pacing around the room.

"Sir, yes sir!" The room chorused.

"Great! Everyone; to the courtyard!" he yelled as the room funnelled out to the grassy lawn of the training house lawn.

"Alright, Ulquiorra, go hide. Good luck!" he said.

_Alright...My time to shine._ I thought. Channelling my energies, I opened a portal behind me that released a gust of ominous wind that wafted towards my fellow trainers. They all gasped in surprise as I stepped inside and closed the door and vanished into the mid-afternoon air.

It was quite an experience, using my portal, or "Rift" as I called it. It was like I had been sucked into another room, with a globe resting in the middle of it. This globe represented the Soul Society. About 1/3 of the globe was a brownish color, that represented the Roukon District. The rest was a crystalline white that radiated an air of brilliance as I gazed at it. That was the Soul Society. I could see the tall towers that were the innards of this great establishment, and I could see the twin pools where the new souls crawled out of, into their new life. One pool produced souls eligible to be Soul Reapers, while the other created normal souls.

There were several other globes in the room, one that was green and blue that represented Earth, and another that was black and gold that represented Weakomundo. I lightly touched the blazing white of the Soul Society and pondered where I'd hide. I could hide in the Roukon District...but I wouldn't want to frighten any of the normal souls.

The Soul Society it was. I chose the only place I knew, the imprisoning tower that rose above all the others. The one that housed me for about a month before I got a small house. I touched the roof and focused my energies to the top of the miniscule tower and willed myself to go there.

A rift opened up behind me, daring me to explore its depths. Limited to only so few places, when it could take me anywhere in the world. I backpedalled into the gaping hole, as it whisked me away. I was whipping through space, feeling the solar air hot on my face, and then I was stepping out of nothing and landing on the tower's triangular bamboo roof.

I lay down on the side facing away from the training house, as I released some of my energies. The soul reapers could sense my power laced in the air, almost like a hungry animal sensing a meal in the distance. While I was waiting upon my roof, I realised something. The Soul Society was quite a beautiful place. It's rising towers pierced the sky as the smaller ones below seemed like a body of water.

The sound of sandals hitting my bamboo roof broke me out of my reverie. I looked up to see one of my classmates, searching the area for me, when I was right below her nose. I recognized her as soon as I had sensed her spirit energies. She was Rukia Kuchiki, 3rd year apprentice. She was quite a bit better than me in rank, but I bet I could beat her at a sword fight.

She looked down in surprise, and saw me lying on the roof.

"Took you long enough. I was staring at you, for like 5 minutes." I said, standing up. I was temporarily light headed from lying down, but it was gone in a minute.

"Oh! There you are. I better call the instructor." She huffed, out of breath. She clicked a button on her receiver and alerted her comrades to my presence. It reminded me of the time I had first seen a Soul Reaper, when they had reported me to the Soul Society in the rain.

It took less than 5 minutes for everyone to assemble on the roof and the surrounding ones. Guessing from their quick response, they had been excited to see me fight.

"Good job, Kuchiki! Alright, you know the rules!" he yelled, prompting our battle.

"Let's get this over with." I hissed, drawing my sword.


	7. Chapter 7: A Remembered Past

It was quite an odd sensation fighting this Rukia person. She put all of her energy into her sword-fighting, and within moments, I knew exactly how much energy to exert. My energy far surpassed hers, if you were wondering. I simply stuck out my weapon and parried her attacks, wave after wave of onslaught. I yawned after about 10 minutes, which seemed to anger her.

She flung herself towards me, punching me in the face. The crowd gasped in horror, as I straightened my chin and rubbed my jaw.

"This is sword fighting, not UFC." I said, using the ridges of my wooden blade to snatch hers from her hands. "You should know better." I teased. I caught hers as it sailed through the air, and caught it with my other hand. I had won.

The crowd clapped for my recent victory, a newfound respect resting in their thoughts. I was now the experienced, go-to guy of the class. Rukia huffed and stomped off to the training house, upset she had lost.

"Well done, Ulquiorra! Alright, go find somewhere else to stash yourself." He yelled over the crowd.

Using my rift again, I teleported once again through space to somewhere in the Soul Society. I chose the Roukon District this time, and hid near one of the pools the souls came out of. These spots were densely inhabited by trees of all different colors. Every one you could think of. I chose a particularly fat red one, and slid down the back of it and rested on the grass.

I probably royally pissed that Rukia girl off. I wonder if she took it personally? Well, she did punch me in the face after all. The least I did was win. I could have driven that wooden blade through her heart. That would show her. I suddenly stopped myself in thinking of killing the young soul reaper. I would never kill one of the Soul Society's children…Now that I had become one.

Great. Now I was going to be depressed the rest of the day for thinking such evil things. I swear, girls are so complicated. If she hangs on just one loss, she'll never win anything. Maybe I'd think of different things. What about my friends of the human world? I wonder if they missed me? In my mind, several months had passed since my death and transformation.

I read in a book once that time is warped in the Dimensions of the Damned. What seemed like a year in the Soul Society would only be about six months in the human world. By a mortal's perspective, I'd have been gone about 45 days now. That would be enough to worry some people. After all, I was very popular at my school. The guys respected me and tried to fall in my footsteps. The girls always fought for the right to attend social events with me.

I was smart and handsome at the same time, which most people would think was a blessing from God. I just thought I was lucky. My thoughts had soon drifted to my family. Oh, family of mine…how I miss them so…My Dad was always at work, with his 'important job'. He never spoke of his profession, not even to my mother. A week before I had died, my Dad had gotten in a fight with me. "It's none of your business what I do! I can do whatever the hell I want!" he screamed. I had recently found out he was a drug dealer.

He had left and hadn't returned for 2 days. I told my mother what I had found out. She was heartbroken, and wouldn't speak. I never told my little sister, though. Little Motoko had come into my room one night and had asked why daddy wasn't around anymore. I had just told her he was spending a lot of time at work. It wasn't a lie, but I'm pretty sure he had abandoned his family just to make a quick buck.

I, too, suffered the loss of my dad. He had taught me how to drive, and how to play catch. Then, I had heard he was staying at a local drug dealing joint at an abandoned barn. I had gone there, worried if my Father had gotten into trouble. Apparently, he had set up guards with specific instructions to murder any of his family members, because their hushed whispers described that they had been expecting me. One of them put a bullet in my head.

I had wandered for days and days, forlornly waiting for someone to save me. I watched my family, and how my Mom and Motoko had cried over me. I had been buried in a local cemetery not far from my house. I sat on my grave stone during the procession. My father wasn't there.

My only resort was to hide form hollows and just wander around my school. I had a close call once, where I was just walking around, and one of my friends had locked eyes with me. It was Ichigo, a second-year student.

"Hey, isn't that Ulquiorra?" he had said. His friends were confused, stating they hadn't seen anything. I was so surprised that I couldn't move. He had come over to me, and started talking to me.

"Where have you been, Ulq?" he said enthusiastically. "Hey, what's that thing on your chest? It looks like a chain…" He said. He reached out to touch my chest, only to watch in horror as his hand passed right through me.

"I'm dead, Ichigo." I had told him. Plain as day.

I was so disturbed someone could see me, I jumped out a closed window, landing nimbly on the ground, and running away. I hadn't seen him since.

Again, I was awoken from my thoughts as a red-haired guy came up to me.

"Heh. Seems I'm your next opponent. I'm Renji Abari. I don't go easy on new kids, so you mind as well just call defeat."


	8. Chapter 8: Foul Play

Aw. I wanted to day dream a little more, but it seems I have to fight again. Standing up with a sigh, I faced ponytail-head and drew my sword. My class swarmed around us, excited to see me fight again, their chattering buzzes ringing in my ears. Half cheered Renji on and half cheered me. He didn't want to waste any time, because he immediately started cracking his sword against mine. Again, I easily parried his attacks with just a simple blocking move, and again, I was relatively bored.

His face was turning the hue of a tomato, and I swear I saw steam spouting from his nose.

"Whoa, there, take it easy..." I coaxed, but he kept slamming against me, knocking me backwards.

"Um..." I muttered, thinking of something to say to get him away from me. I didn't want to piss him off like I did that Rukia girl, but some things you just can't avoid.

With a sigh, and a frown, I smacked my blade against his, snapping his in half. He stared at his splintered weapon in disbelief, as he dropped the hilt.

The crowd erupted with cheers, as sweat dribbled from Renji's face.

"That's a win! Renji, you know the rules. Get back to the training house with Rukia." The teacher ordered.

He didn't seem posed to moving anywhere any time soon. "No, God Dammit! You've been fighting for a long time! That's not fair!" he screamed with rage. The crowd giggled at his outrage, as a children's class giggles at a problematic student.

And then he erupted. "I'll show you, hollow!" He growled, sticking out his palms. I didn't know Soul Reapers could do spells like the Eronkars, so I thought he was just having an episode.

He began chanting some odd mantra, and then a beam of blue electricity erupted from his palm. The crowd gasped in fear. It seemed they had seen this before. I, on the other hand, was caught completely off-guard. The bolt of power shot right through my chest, making a hole equal in size to the one I received when I had become a hollow.

It didn't hurt that much, but it felt awkward for part of my chest to be missing. I looked down at my body in disbelief, watching my blood stain my robes. "Ouch..." I whispered.

The crowd gazed in horror at Renji who didn't even look the slightest of angry anymore. He, too, was staring in horror at what he had just done. I didn't like this guy, so maybe I ought to get him in a little trouble. Faking a fatal blow, I fell over on my back and began moaning and breathing heavily. Actual blood was running from my lips, so it added dramatic effect.

It turns out perhaps I did have a serious injury. I had dealt with even more serious injuries, so I didn't panic as much as the science division.

"He's the only Eronkar we have! We can't let him die!" they had all screamed at each other.

I patiently waited as they stitched up my chest and healed my wounds. My class had visited me in my sick room, although I had assured them that I could lose body parts and I'd be fine. I had lost arms and legs during my existence in Weakomundo, so I could handle dismemberments. I had a bit of starfish effect, where I could absorb the energies around me and form them into body parts.

I was a little miffed, because I was really enjoying this exercise and I was annoyed one little Soul Reaper had ended it. But by the next day, I was walking through the Soul Society again. From 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, I had classes and after that, I could mull around or do whatever I wanted.

The next day's classes were full of shameful glances in Renji's direction, which had to give a forced apology. It wasn't all bad. Most of the girls worried over me, even though I was perfectly fine. Now back to the exercise. Today, we were practicing using those strange bullets of power the Soul Reapers used. Yesterday was the first time I had become aware of this, and it was quite interesting.

Most of my classmates shot pitiful little bullets that barely dented the target. The only one who made a hole was Renji. No surprise. Ok, my turn. I prime my energy, and I direct my palm towards the bull's eye.

I shoot a dead-on, merciless projectile of pure, red hot evil and destroy my target as well as several around mine. For extra effect, I turned 2 of my fingers into a gun and blew on my pointer finger. People didn't tease me anymore.

It was about mid-day that the apprentice team had received an order from the High General. All of the apprentices were going to the human world.


	9. Chapter 9: A Visitation

It was like someone had lit a bottle rocket and had shoved it down my throat, leaving it to zip around in my stomach, tearing everything up. I was going to the human world. They wouldn't notice, but I could visit my family, my friends. It was like my birthday and Christmas in one afternoon. A few hours after the call went out, all of the apprentices stood in front of the gate that would teleport us to the human world.

"All right, everyone! Get in!" Teacher yelled as the gates opened. Everyone filed in except me.

"But...If I go in there, that train thing will take me out." I complained.

"Oh. Well, then, teleport." He said. Why couldn't I think of that? Maybe it was the nerves.

I teleported to the human world and connected with the teleportation stream of the gates, so I would appear in the same place as my familiars. We all stepped out onto a tall building in central square, Kurakara, as recognition began to dawn in my mind. I recognized all of the buildings around me. There was the train station, and the clinic, the general store I had biked to as a kid.

Off in the distance, I could see my high-school, and my neighbourhood, right next to each other. My heart longed to leave my class, and just to become drunk with the familiarity of my past life.

"All right, every one, here's the deal. There's been some abnormal hollow numbers in this vicinity lately, and all the professional Soul Reapers are too busy. So they're making the lot of you do it. Rukia, Renji, you'll do all of central Karakura. They're the top students, so they can go alone, the rest of you, sweep the area. Ulquiorra. You can do the south district by yourself, considering your skills. Alright, team, fan out!" He ordered.

I swear, this guy was going to be my best friend forever. Everything I had ever known in Karakura was in the south district. I quickly set off, nimbly hopping from roof to roof, my excitement pressing me forward.

I'd see my family first. They were closest. I landed on the roof of my house. Almost forgetting my mission, I used my senses to scan the area for any nearby hollows. None whatsoever. Perfect.

I landed on the sill of my bedroom, taking in the scent that I had long forgotten. It was all clean, my bed made, laundry in the basket. It had been recently dusted, and I saw a small shrine on my desk, with some flowers and a picture of me. At least I had not been forgotten.

Skirting the house, the kitchen window was open, so I floated in unseen, like a ghost. My mom was cooking diligently in the kitchen, preparing spaghetti, or some kind of pasta. My sister was doing some homework at the kitchen table. Grade 2 math. I remembered when I'd help her, and she'd get so frustrated, she didn't care if she got bad marks, she wouldn't do it.

I suddenly caught myself. I had read in a text that children's minds are softer than an adult's and that some can see the deceased. I wonder if my sister was one of those. If she saw me, she'd definitely freak out, and then Mom would freak out, and then I'd freak out, and it would just be a mess.

So I decided I'd fight some hollows first, while I waited for my sister to finish. I killed a hollow that looked like a clown and one that looked like a horse. My Dark Lance quickly sliced through their bone masks, and I remembered when I had worn a similar one. I still wore one, but it wasn't as ugly.

I came back to see my sister watching TV in her room. Alright, it's fight or flight. I drifted in through her window and hovered over her. I bet you're all confused about the floating, but as well as a teleport, I can use my rift to control the gravity around me. Back to Motoko. I sat on the bed behind her, and she seemed to sense something was in the room. Oh, God. What if she could see me? Would she forever be traumatized? She slowly turned around. And locked eyes with me. Damn. They widened in fear, as a scream rose in her throat.

"SHHHH-"I tried, but it already escaped.

"MOMMYYY!" She shrieked, jumping up.

"No, it's okay! I don't want-"but she was already up and running out the hall. Crap.

I sat on the bed, locked in my mind, thinking of something to do or say, but nothing came, except 'sit'.

A minute later, Motoko was dragging her mom in, pointing at the scary ghost.

"Motoko, there's nothing there! I'm sure it's just your imagination." Mom huffed angrily. "Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes." She said and left.

Motoko stared at me, trying to say something. Tears dripped from her eyes, staining her shirt.  
>"W...What are you?" she whispered, so quiet I had to strain to hear it.<p>

"Motoko...urm...it's me, Ulquiorra..." I whispered. Her eyes widened with doubt.

"That's impossible! My brother's dead! And he doesn't wear a scary mask!" she shrieked. She started to turn around, but I had something to say.

"No! It is me! Don't you recognise my face?" I yelled. She slowly turned around, staring at me as if her life depended on it. "Do you remember when you fell out of that tree, and broke you arm, and how I carried you all the way to the clinic?" I scrambled for the right memories. "And when I was in that spelling bee and I spelt almost every word wrong?" I said, with a chuckle.

Her eyes widened with recognition as she saw in my face that it was true. "But...how are you here? Are you alive?" She asked, just as scared.

"No, I...I'm still dead." I answered. "But...I'm like a ghost. Only a few people can see me." I explained.

She ran over to me and tried to hug me, only to fall on her bed, confused. "You are a ghost..." she realized.

"Yeah...and we have some catching up to do." I chuckled.


	10. Chapter 10: Explanation

"So what do you do most of the day?" Motoko asked, looking up at me like she used to when I was alive.

"Well, for the most part, I kill evil things and help other dead people." I didn't like to use the word 'dead' around Motoko, but there was no helping it.

"Oh, like the monsters that walk around? The ones with the masks?" she said, excited that she knew something of my world.

"So you can see them, can you? Makes sense, since you can see me. They're called 'hollows' and I don't want you getting anywhere near them." I explained.

She looked confused. "Why? Are they dangerous? They look kinda fluffy~" she squealed.

"No, they are not fluffy, and they will seriously hurt you if you go anywhere near them." I sternly advised.

"Nee-San, your mask looks kind of like theirs." She pointed out. "Are you a hollow?"

I sighed. I knew I'd have to tell her of what I was.

"Yes, Motoko. But I'm a more powerful hollow. An evolved one. But, I was one of those once. It wasn't fun at all." I explained, gravely. "So, please, stay away from them. They want nothing but to hurt you." I told her, looking straight into her eyes.

"Alright, Nee-San. Hey, is there a heaven and a hell?" she asked. Of course a child would want to know this.

"Sort of, but they have different names. Hell is called Weakomundo, where all the hollows go. Heaven is the Soul Society, where all the good souls go. But you don't have to be good to go there. You just have to get found by the Soul Reapers in time." I said.

"So, they Soul Reapers missed you?" she said, a little sadly.

"Yeah. But that's okay, because even though I was missed, I'm a Soul Reaper now. I just don't get to save any souls." I said, as happily as I could.

"Why don't you get to save any souls?" she asked. She just wanted to know everything.

"Every Soul Reaper carries around a weapon that can send souls to the Soul Society. But my weapon isn't equipped with the ability to do that. Instead, mine turns souls right into hollows, so I'm not allowed to save souls." I explained. "But I carry around a special tool, which does the same thing."

"What's the tool look like?" she asked.

"Kind of like a butterfly. It just sends souls to the Soul Society, just like that."

After a long pause from her, so long I wondered if she'd speak again, she said, "Nee-San, when I die, will you send me to the Soul Society?"

"Of course, Motoko. I'll get you as soon as you pass. Then you can hang out with me in the Roukon District." I said with a smile. She smiled too.

We were walking around the neighborhood, just chatting like little birds. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering why Motoko was talking to herself, but she was so young they'd think it was an imaginary friend.

"Have you said Hi to anyone else?" she asked me.

"Nope. I wanted to see you first." I said, squeezing her hand. She giggled, and it was like a chorus of angels.

"Can anyone else see you?" she asked.

"Ichigo from school, but I'll see him later." I responded, looking at the sky. I wonder if he would freak out again?

She seemed to catch herself, as if remembering a question she had long forgotten. "Oh, yeah! Nee-San, if you live in the Soul Society, then what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Some friends of mine are fighting hollows in the area, and I was called with them. There aren't many in this area, but if one appears, I'll need to go fight it." I explained.

She squealed with joy. "Yay! I want to see my big brother fight!"

"Well, you have to remember, hollows were human once. Each and every one of them. But, they're not anymore. They've lost control, and just want to destroy humans." I said. I remembered when I was a hollow, how I didn't want to kill anyone. How I was different.

She nodded her head in agreement, and looked off into the distance, as if searching for something that would never be there.

"Hey, sprout, you'd better get home. I'm sure Mom is wondering where you are." I told her.

"Awww! I want to talk to you some more!" she whined, clinging to my leg like a static-y balloon.

"I know, but I'm still your big brother, and I have to look out for you." I huffed, pulling her up into my arms.

I quickly leaped from roof to roof, clutching her in my arms as she squealed in delight. Putting her on her bed, I kissed her forehead and stood on the sill.

"Hey, just for fun, tell Mom I said 'hi', okay?" I said.

"Tee hee! Sure thing, Nee-San!" she laughed, still excited from the ride.

After saying goodbye, I bounded away towards my high-school. I wonder if Ichigo remembered me?

Sitting on a nearby roof, I saw Motoko slip into the kitchen and hug Mom. She told her that I had said 'hi'. She looked confused before saying 'that's nice' and returning to her cooking. Either she just had been too busy to look into what Motoko had said, or she just didn't care. It didn't matter which it was, it still hurt.


	11. Chapter 11: Menos

Now that catching up with Motoko was done, I leaped from roof to roof towards Karakura High-School. Maybe I should have gotten a gigai...no, everyone at school knew I was dead. It would just freak people out. Landing on the roof of my school, I saw that all my friends were running track. Apparently, it was gym time. I was the peak of my gym class. I could run a lap faster than anyone else. Now nobody would even notice.

Gliding down from my perch, I lurked in the bushes, watching my old friends sprint along the asphalt. I saw Ichigo, puffing away at his 4th lap, as he slowed to a stop, finished. The bell resonated throughout the yard, making me jump. All the students filed inside, to their next class.

I climbed to the second floor and sat on a windowsill. I knew Ichigo's class was along this hallway, so I'd wait for him. All the students passed, sparing not even a glance in my direction. But what would be there to look at, but an open window? I saw Ichigo's orange head poke above the crowd, and a knot of doubt thumped into my stomach.

He slunk down the hallway, his binders and books under an arm. He turned his head and looked straight in my eyes. So he could see me after all, and it wasn't some freak hallucination. He stopped walking, and seemed to choke on his own air. His friends seemed generally concerned at his lack of respiration, but he waved them on as the hallway emptied.

"Urggllrrff..." he choked, trying to find the words.

"Hey, Strawberry." I said. He then seemed to recognise my face and tone of voice.

"Ulquiorra? But...what...how...what are you?" He screeched, back peddling to the other wall.

"For shame, Ichigo. I thought you missed me." I snipped, sticking m nose in the air.

"But...but I did, it's just...you're DEAD..." he wheezed, hyperventilating.

"Yes, good observation. I just happened to be in the vicinity, and thought I'd say hello." I said, generally taking this the way I'd take it if I were still alive.

"WAIT WAIT wait...how are you HERE?" he said, still doubtful at my existence.

"I'm on duty. Why else?" I chuckled. "Tell you what. You skip class, and I will tell you ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW. Mmk?" I whispered, making a rainbow motion with my hands.

He nodded after some thought, and started walking down the hallway, the invisible man in tow.

Strolling through the courtyard, he pelted me with question after question.

"Is there a heaven?" he started off with.

"Nope. You go straight to hell, no matter what."

He made a noise of surprise, and almost choked on his juice box. "SERIOUS?" he screeched.

"No, I'm joking. There are two directions: The Soul Society, or Weakomundo. I ended up in the later. The Soul Society is kind of like limbo, where Weakomundo is without a doubt hell." I explained. "When you die, these people known as 'Soul Reapers' will find you, and send you to the Soul Society. But if they don't get to you in time, you go to Weakomundo. When you saw me the first time, I had a chain on my chest. The chain slowly falls away, until there's a giant hole in your chest." I pulled back my robes to show him the hole I had received.

He gawked in wonder, as I continued. "If your chain falls away, you become a hollow, and they're like demons. They're giant, soul-eating monsters that live in Weakomundo. I used to be one of them. It wasn't fun. I eventually evolved into a high-class hollow known as an Arroncar. After that, the Soul Reapers accepted me into their Society as a testing subject. I eventually won them over with my good looks and charisma and I became one of them. Now, I destroy hollows and help the dead as a soul reaper. Is this all sinking in?" I finished.

"Uh-Huh...?" he nodded, looking confused.

"Hrm. Well, when you die, you'll know it all too well." I said. I punished myself for saying it so lightly to him. It was but a dinner table conversation to me. Other people, not so much.

"So...you're like...an ANGEL?" he howled, looking awed.

"Umm...I guess you could say that."

After strolling around some more, the ear splitting howls of a nearby hollow rang throughout the area, rattling the windows and smothering the grass.

"Oh, my God! What was that?" Ichigo cried, restless.

"Hm? Oh, Just a hollow. No big deal." I said, waving my hand through the air.

"But...aren't you going to kill it?" he screamed as more howls rolled through the air. "Jesus, how many of them are there?"

"Fine, if it bothers you so much, I'll go get them. But, I'm pretty sure when I get there, someone else would have probably dealt with it." I sneered. Gosh, humans sure worried about their well-being.

With Ichigo sprinting behind me, I whipped through the streets, pulling papers from their dirty piles, and stirring the dust occupying the streets. When I got to a clearing near the place I had heard the hollows, a massive cloud of Menos towered in front of me, howling and stomping around.

"WHAT THE FA-"Ichigo began, but was cut off by a red death beam melting the toes of his shoes.  
>"-CK?"<p>

Smiling back at him, I called,"Hey, I used to be one of those, too!" I pointed at the beasts. One of them noticed my presence, and starting back peddling at the sight of an Arroncar. They all caught on and started fighting for a space in the giant rip in the sky.

"Hehehe! They're running awaaayyy! They're sooo cuuuttteee!" I squealed, marvelling at their beauty. But, alas, there are so many trapped souls in those things. I unsheathed my weapon, flying towards them.


	12. Chapter 12: Promotion

Aww. I loved the Menos, and how they stomped around, shooting killer death rays of horror everywhere. It was a shame to slaughter them. Giving a quick order into a transceiver, I unleashed my spirit energy, amplifying the power of my weapon. It radiated a poisonous, purple glow, as the ivy vines coiling around it unwrapped and whipped up my arm. I was going to need a lot of energy to take them out all at once.

Positioning myself so that they were all in a line, I swung my arm back and whipped my lance through the air. It extended, slicing through all of their masks, just as I'd planned. They all shrieked and howled as their lives left them, lifting into the air as their souls were released. Disengaging my weapon, I re-sheathed it on my back just as my class-mates arrived.

"But...Shiffer, where are the Menos?" Rukia scoffed, looking around.

"Hm? Oh, I killed them. But there might be more, so stick around." I explained, looking un-amused.

"How did you kill a pack of Menos so fast?" Renji howled, almost mimicking the deceased monsters.

"God, stop yelling! I used my Zanpachto, how else?" I yelled.

I looked down, and saw Ichigo, looking as if he had just crapped his pants. I glided down to him, lifting him up off the ground. "You okay, Strawberry?" I asked.

"Hrrnnmmmrrmmrffrmmm..." he mumbled, looking up at me. "How did you do that?" He whispered.

After explaining to him the whole art of 'sending a hollow to the Roukon District', he started to get it.

My teacher appeared shortly, announcing that we had done our job, and were ordered back to the Soul Society. After saying goodbye to Ichigo, we all teleported back to the Soul Society. When we got back to the Society, I was surprised by a gathering of all the Soul Reapers. They were all smiling, whether they were fake or not. My teacher threw us all onto a stage, as confetti rained down around us.

All my friends were cheering, and hugging, and celebrating. No one was hugging me. After some more cheering, a speaker boomed with the Grand General's voice.

"Congratulations, to our graduating Apprentice Class! You will all be assigned to squads shortly." It seems I've graduated. Wonderful. I had only spent 3 days in school, and I was only a Soul Reaper. I must have been reeeaaaaly really good. After some paperwork, I found out I was on squad 11. The toughest squad of the Serete.

I was given a special coat, with an 11 on the back. I was given a bigger house, and a higher grade of respect. But it wasn't enough. While I was an underling to Kenpachi Zaraki, I wanted to lead a squad. All the squad leaders were always having parties, and all that jazz. I wanted to join their reighndeer games.


	13. Chapter 13: Challenge

So I trained even harder. I was granted permission to the human world every once in a while, and during that time, I killed hollows like there was no tomorrow. I would give a quick hello to my friends and family, but most of my attention was concentrated on the hollows. My Zanpachto got stronger and stronger as I used it, and eventually, I was feared and respected by all of my accomplices.

Then I got an idea. Kenpachi became leader of squad 11 by killing the previous leader. I wouldn't kill him; I'd just beat him up enough that everyone would see my power. Besides, Soul Reapers had organized fights all the time, to train on each other. I could win.

Waiting until midday, I approached my Squad Chief and his assistant. She was tiny, and had pink hair. How odd.

"Kenny, there's that hollow boy!" She squealed, pointing.

"Eh? What does he want?" He growled, fixing his spiky hair. It jingled at his touch.

"Captain Zaraki, I understand you killed a man to receive your place?" I started. He was quite intimidating.

"What? Yeah. Who wants to know?" He snarled, dropping one of his bells and cussing.

"Well, I heard that you're searching for a good fight, to relieve your boredom." I enticed, knowing he wouldn't back down.

"Hah! Boy, I would completely destroy you without even touching you. Don't even try." He laughed, getting a giggle out of Yaruichi.

"Alright then, if you're too scared to fight hollow boy..." I said, turning around.

"WHAT? I've killed thousands of your kind! I've killed baby hollows! I would have no problem wiping you off the face of the Earth!" He screeched, giving up on his bells.

"Alright, then, accept my challenge!" I teased. "Show me you're not scared."

"God Dammit, boy, you're really gonna make me fight you, huh?" he sighed, exasperated from arguing.

"Well, if you don't, you'll always be a chicken in my eyes. It's just one persons opinion." I said, knowing he would never let one person think this.

"Fine, freak. Training yard, 2:00. I'm gonna make you wish you stayed in Weakomundo." He growled, picking up his bells.

Nodding my approval, I set off to my abode to prepare for possibly the biggest ass-kicking of my generation. There wasn't much preparing to do. I was always fully prepared for the biggest of brawls.

Waiting until 1:58, I appeared in the flat-plateau of the training yard. Soul Reapers battled all the time, right where I was standing. A gathering of Soul Reapers were lingering on the side, anticipating Kenpachi killing the hollow boy. A hulking figure leapt from the sidelines, landing a few meters in front of me.

A few scientists ran out into the field.

"Please! Zaraki, don't do this! He's a valuable piece of science! He could revolutionize the way we fight hollows!" He screeched, running from in between us. "Don't kill hiiiiimmmmm!"

"Relax, old man, I'm just gonna teach him a lesson." Kenpachi said, grinning his jagged tooth smile.

After shooing the scientist off of the battlefield, we got to out positions and drew our weapons.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a good fight." I taunted from my corner. He giggled in amusement, probably with the thought of spilling my insides onto the battlefield. I shivered. But I was all in now.

I imagined a boxing bell sounding in my mind the same time I imagined 'Round 1. FIGHT!' from Mortal Combat. I released some of my power, and let my weapon expand to its full power.

He ran towards me, his weapon raised. I parried the blow with my lance, snatching it from his hands and catching it, just as I'd done with that Rukia girl. He looked at me in disbelief as I handed his sword back to him.

"If you don't take me seriously, I'll beat you before you know it." I said, smiling. I whipped my lance against his sword, sending him flying backwards. Yaruichi leapt off of his shoulder and landed on the side lines.

"C'mon, Kenny! Turn him into soup!" she called.

"Well, now I'm obligated." He hissed to me, flying through the air.

I parried all of his attack, yet each one sent me staggering backwards. I was getting quite bored with this fight. I needed to draw blood, to show him I wanted to win. I whipped my lance at him, extending it so he wouldn't expect an attack. I ripped it across his chest, making a jagged, open wound.

He stared down at himself, seeing his blood seep through his tunic, and started giggling maniacally.

"Now, I haven't had a fight like this in years!" he screamed.

"I bet you won't get another, too." I huffed. Returning my blade to its normal length, I prepared for another onslaught of attacks. He grinned, and leapt towards me.


	14. Chapter 14: Battle

**Warning: Violence**

I remembered a quote I had heard from an old wrestling movie. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Well, I was definitely light on my feet where Kenpachi was not, so there was an advantage. I was very good at quickly getting in the fight with my lance, but Kenpachi could attack much faster than me. Sparks leapt from the edge of our blades, pressed together with a brutal intensity. I once again pushed him away, as he lunged at me again.

Instead of going for the chest, he sliced across my cheek, just below my mask. My blood flowed down my face, dripping from my chin. I could hear the science division shouting in horror as I pressed a hand to my face.

"Baka, you almost chipped my mask." I said, feeling my head-piece for dents.

"Kehehe. There's more where that came from." He hissed, releasing a stream of spirit energy that rippled up his blade.

Doing the same for mine, we came at each other with explosive results. I slammed my blade against his, and an eruption of spirit energy shot into the sky. When the dust settled, we were standing in a crater. We were dusty, but unharmed. I leapt backwards, propping myself up with my lance. This guy was a wall.

"Ahahaha! Quit running away!" He screeched, slashing his blade towards me. I tried t dodge it, but it ripped across my arm, almost puncturing an artery. I clamped my hand around it, biting down on the pain. We Arroncars had special abilities, some which allowed us to subdue pain for a short while. I activated it, feeling my mind become fuzzy as the intense pain slowed to a dull throbbing.

"Hmm…you are a tough one indeed…but I've fought hollows tougher than you. They actually impale me when they want to." I taunted. I wanted this guy angry, because anger clouds the mind and distracts one from goals.

His face contorted in a look of pure rage, as he howled and came at me again.

_Come at me, bro…_I thought. I was priming for the attack.

As he spun around to slash me across the chest, I ducked under his arm and impaled him in between his ribs. He coughed up a steady stream of blood as he hung on my lance, and started grinning.

"You…shouldn't let your guard down…around me!" he screeched, cracking his knuckles against the wound in my cheek. I felt it rip open, pouring more blood down my face. I felt my neck whiplash, and knew I'd feel it later. If there was a later.

I bounded away from him, using my rift to float in the air. "Nnh…you can't float, can you? You can only…flash step!" I yelled down at him. He chuckled at my wavering form, and stuck out his arm. I remembered when Renji had done that. It had led to a hole in my chest. I quickly ducked as a bolt of energy whizzed over my head.

"Hahaha! Now it's just shooing hollows in a barrel!" He cackled.

I sped across the sky, dodging his bullets. One got me in the leg, but it wasn't bad. I used my rift to teleport. I chose to be right behind him, and cracked my lance across the back of his head. I smooshed several of his spikes. He whipped around in fury, and knocked my lance out of my hand. It landed several meters away. Crap.

I swung under his weapon and back peddled. My lance was still very far away. I went to my last resort. I wasn't very good at ranged combat, but it was all I could do. I stuck out my palm, uttered a short list of words and numbers, and a bolt of crimson energy escaped. He looked confused, yet dazzled at the sight of it. Right up until it blew a hole in his chest.

"Nnnh…" He groaned, and doubled over, throwing up blood. I had retrieved my lance, and placed it against his neck.

"Do you submit?" I asked, hoping there would be no more mauling.

He chuckled, his back racking with coughs as his lungs filled with blood.

"I…refuse…to lose!" He shrieked, head butting me in the stomach.

I saw stars for a moment then regained my strength. When I looked up, he was standing in front of my, his palm out stretched, aimed at my head. "Sorry, hollow boy. Those scientists are gonna miss you." He chuckled, as he released his energy.

Moving at a speed rivaling that of sound, I too, prepared a bolt of energy. Red and blue collided, sending shockwaves throughout the Soul Society. The ground rippled and bucked, as a crater was dug beneath us. I could feel small waves of energy, ripping through my flesh, cutting my chest. He was screaming as if he were on fire, which was how I felt.

An enormous ball of energy exploded in between us, dropping me to my knees. Crap. I had lost. I could feel my blood seeping through my tunic, splattering the floor. I fell face first on the ground. Then I felt something heavy fall beside me. I turned my head, to see Kenpachi staring at me, a grin on his face. He was gasping in air, but he managed to cough a few words.

"Kehehe…thanks, kid. I…haven't had…that much fun…in years…" he choked, and fell silent. Did I kill him? Did he kill me? I didn't have time to ponder this as my vision tunneled and my world fell dark.


	15. Chapter 15: Recovery

I was floating in blackness, as if it was an ocean and I was resting upon the waves. A dull whine whispered in my ears, like interference on a microphone. I looked around me. There was nothing in this imaginary world, no people or buildings. There was just you, and the darkness. It felt like I had spent days inside this cocoon of black, listening to its whispers, its cries. I found the darkness comforting, as one would find shade on a hot day comforting. I listened to its wails, and felt sympathy. This darkness wouldn't be anything but, forever swirling through empty space. Just as I understood it, it understood me. It knew how I felt, and why I was lonely. It lured me into its depths, enticing me to sink in this ocean. It whispered to me to become one with it. It was my friend.

I was ripped from the mirage, whipped into the bright world, where every color was sharp, and every sound pierced the ears. I suddenly longed for the darkness, and it's quiet. Was that what death was? My vision blurred, and I saw shapes looming above me. I moaned uncomfortably, and twisted where I lay. My blood felt as if it had been frozen, made to expand and burst my veins. I tried to focus my eyes and realized that doctors lay over me. They were all chattering about whether I would wake up soon. I was hooked up to a series of tubes, each one with a mysterious pouch dripping disgustingly healthy things into my arm. I always hated hospitals, or even small clinics. I guess old habits die hard.

I grumbled something, audible enough that they would know I was conscious. They started shouting things to one another and then hustled off to the hallway. I heard a snicker beside me. I turned my head, and saw Kenpachi Zaraki grinning at me.

"Kehehe…guess we both made it." He chuckled. He, too, was hooked up to a series of tubes. "Since we're both still alive, we'll call it a draw, eh?"

I nodded my head, considering my mouth felt as if it had been sewn shut. I heard a squeal and flinched at the sharpness of the sound. Yaruichi scurried into the room, a grin on her face. She hopped onto the side of the bed, and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Teehee! Kenny had so much fun! He's been dying to destroy someone lately, so thank you for playing with him!" she squealed right into my ear.

She leapt off the bed and proceeded to hug Kenpachi with 10X the force. She reminded me of my sister. After she left, I had gained control of my arms. I read the stickers on the pouches. Vitamins, blood, and a whole bunch of other complicated doctor things. Looking back to Kenpachi, it seemed he was still grinning at me.

"You're not bad, kid. We'll have to scrap again sometime." He groaned. He held out his fist, and I rapped on it with my knuckles. Friends = 1

A few hours later, I was sitting up in bed, pulling the tubes from my arms. Despite all of the doctor's warnings, I was fully healed. Arroncars healed at amazing speeds, so fast you'd wonder if some kind of spell was involved. We were like starfish. Cut anything off of us, and it will grow back.

Stretching my arms way above my head, my spine clicked audibly and I started to make my way out the door. Kenpachi still needed bed rest, and he was quite miffed I got to leave before him. With less than a foot out of the clinic, I was stopped by a husky looking Soul Reaper, with a pile of parchments.

"Sir, there's mail for you…" he squeaked, handing me a small paper. Since when did I get mail? Sitting on one of the clinic chairs, I carefully opened the letter.

_Dear Ulquiorra Shiffer,_

_I was quite pleased with your battle with Squad Chief Zaraki. You show outmost power in your work, and we all feel safer having you around. Please accept my congratulations for surviving a bout with Zaraki. You are an exemplary Soul Reaper, and your differences are no handicap for your line of work. I am glad to award you with the title of Captain of Squad 11. Zaraki has been demoted to Squad 10, which is just as fearsome as the 11__th__. We understand it is quite a leap to go from newly graduated yearling to Squad Leader, but we would greatly appreciate it if you'd accept the role. Well, you don't have a choice either way. You're stuck with Squad 11 now, whether you like it or not. Your Lieutenant is Renji Abari, with Rukia Kutchiki as the Leading Officer. They are very pleased to serve under you, as well as the other members of your squad. We hope you understand that you are now the Leading Soul Reaper, leaving out the Grand General, myself. May luck come to you on the battlefield._

_Sincerely, _

_Grand General._

I held the little slip of paper in my hands. It was just a thin, tiny piece of parchment, fluttering in the draft. So insignificant, yet one of the most important little papers he'd ever gotten. He read it over again, just to make sure it wouldn't disappear in front of him, like a practical joke.

"What's it say?" Kenpachi growled. He began to sat up, interested in the ordeal.

"I'm the Chief of Squad 11…" I whispered. I tried the words out. They felt strange and foreign, words I had never spoken before.

"What? That's BS man, lemme see that." He snarled, reaching for my paper. I handed to him, giddy he'd see that I really was Chief. His eyes widened in recognition of the authentic seal at the bottom of the page. He grinned at me, giving me back my precious piece of flattened wood.

I walked outside, gazing out over the Serete. It was different somehow, like one would notice the odor of a different house. The walls didn't look like that of a prison anymore, but that of a home. Looking about, I ran some phrases through my head. _All of these Soul Reapers look up to me…I am the best one of them all…I'm one of them…_all of these felt like phrases someone would never say in my shoes. What would Motoko think of her big brother, leader of the Soul Reapers? I giggled at the thought. She already thought I was the strongest person alive. I gazed at the Soul Society, the Serete. My Serete.


	16. Chapter 16: Rest

I walked down the paths of the Serete, every pair of eyes on me. They all looked so shocked; the freaky hollow kid was now the leading Soul Reaper. And I had done it all in 4 months. Must be a new record. Every once in a while, some angry Soul Reaper would run up to me and scream insults in my face, like 'you don't belong here' and 'you're a monster'. It didn't faze me, because I already knew these things. I was getting pretty good at my Cero, as well as Kido. Who knows, maybe I'd revolutionize the way the Soul Reapers fought hollows. Since I was an Arroncar, and I basically had the power to turn hollows into Arroncars, I could control hollows to do whatever I wanted. I could find a Menos, and order it to ride me around town while I sat on its head. I could order a normal hollow to kill itself, but then it wouldn't go to the Roukon district. So, basically, I used hollows for anything I needed done at the moment, then killed them as their reward. It wasn't a bad thing killing them, because when I was a hollow I always prayed someone would kill me.

After the announcement of my recent promotion, I was awarded a wonderful trench coat, with a number 11 on it and everything. When I sat down for lunch at the dining hall, I was greeted with slightly warm faces, and saved a spot. Kenpachi has always been badgering me to scrap again, but I always had paperwork to do. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. 'Oh, But Chief Shiffer! You have to sign these documents!' 'Chief, you have to write out this essay for the science division!' Always nagging for things to be written. I barely even got to go to the human world anymore. But every once in a while, I'd turn to them and say:

"What does the number on my back say?" I'd hiss.

"Um…11?" They'd mumble.

"Yes. And what does '11' mean in the Serete?"

"The leading Soul Reaper of team 11?"

"Yes. Also, it means the strongest, and the strongest in the Serete means that person gets to do whatever they want, right?" I giggled.

"Well, but-"

"RIGHT!" I'd growl.

"YES SIR!" They'd scream, and run away. Problem solved.

One day, I was strolling through the Serete, when Rukia ran up to me.

"Excuse me, Chief Shiffer!" She huffed, bowing vigorously.

"Rukia, darling, you know I don't like formalities. Stand up, what is it?" I asked. "First, I'm not doing any paperwork. If that's it, then N-O."

"No, there's no paperwork. Sir, I got a report that there are unusual hollow appearances in Karakura…and I was wondering-"

"Silly, they've appointed someone already. If you are diligent in your task, perhaps they'll send you next time." I asked. Almost everyone in my team had come up to me, asking for a special job in the human world. Little did they know that whenever a report came in, someone was automatically appointed.

"Oh, but wait! Sir, the report hasn't gone through the Dispatch team yet! Please, no one has been appointed yet! I haven't been to the human world in so long, please, send me!" She begged. It was unusual to see Rukia begging like this. She was like a brick wall; nothing could knock her down.

"Hrrrmmmm…..Weeeeeellllllll…" I whined, rubbing my chin. "Alright, but you only have 2 weeks. If you do not return to the Serete by the end of the second week, I will have to send someone to get you. I wouldn't want to do that, because it would make you legible for execution. The Serete is harsh, but it is the Serete, Comprende?" I said. "Plus, you have to give my regards to a certain Ichigo Kurosaki. And don't be afraid to tell him of your profession, he's a friend of mine."

She grinned, and continued to bow so low I thought she'd smack her head on the pavement. "Yes, Sir! I'll be back in 2 weeks!" She beamed, and then ran off. She was a good kid, but she could be stubborn sometimes. I knew she had a family in Karakura, just as I did. I just wish she had told me, because then I wouldn't have even pondered it. If I was an underling to a chief, and I begged to see my sister, I would be crushed if he had refused.

Finishing my walk, I saw a whole group of scientists in front of my house, pounding on my door. I could just imagine their evil chants. "Sign the papers! Sign the papers!"

Taking a small detour, I hopped over the wall separating the Roukon district with the Serete, and landed on one of the decrepit, old houses. All the souls stared up at me in surprise, and started bowing even more vigorously as Rukia. Ignoring the formalities I hated ever so much, I strolled down the dusty streets towards the colorful trees. The big red one that Renji had almost killed me in front of was my favorite. Its leaves fluttered in the afternoon breeze, its branches quivering in the draft.

I slid down the trunk, plucking a shiny apple from a low branch. Before I lived in Karakura, I had lived in Europe, and before that, Russia. I had been everywhere and back, and who knows when my Mom will move again. It was always my Dad's decision to move. Now I know why.

I watched as the dazed and delirious souls crawled out of the western pool, stumbling about. They all seemed so pure, so untouched by the madness of the outer world. Then, I saw the Soul Reaper pool start to shimmer. I sat up, curious about the new fledgling Soul Reaper. A hunched shape tore through the water, as if it were boiling acid.

He crawled up to the banks, clawing to get to land. I wouldn't help him up, because it would be like taking a baby duck from its cracked egg. It wouldn't learn the hardships of life. As he got to his feet, he began staring around, confused of where to go. It was normal for a fledgling to be confused at first.

Then he found my, and looked into my eyes. The apple I had been holding rolled to the ground, as my eyes widened in recognition. It was my father.


	17. Chapter 17: Father

I couldn't believe it. Why would such a horrible man get turned into a Soul Reaper? He should be a hollow instead, so he'd feel the suffering I experienced because of him. My disgust almost made me want to drown him in the pool he most recently emerged, but I would be the boss of him. I was the boss of everyone around here, so I would make it so he wouldn't be a Soul Reaper. He didn't deserve it.

After giving out my hateful thoughts, I stood up and walked towards the new soul. A look of immediate fear passed his face. He still didn't recognize me.

"Ack! It's a hollow!" He howled, tripping and falling backwards.

"Hmph. You should have more respect for the Chief of Squad 11." I said, my voice dripping with poison.

"Squad…11?" He whispered. Immediately, he was kneeling in front of me, groveling and moaning for forgiveness. I let him stew in his own fear for a few minutes before I spoke.

"Get up, old man. No one wants to watch their own father grovel, no matter how disgusting he is." I said. He looked up at me, and met my eyes. His were dripping with tears of fear or happiness, I didn't know which. His mouth opened in surprise, but he shut it instantly, trapping his words inside. He looked disgusted that his son was a hollow.

Sneering in disgust, I turned around and started walking back. I didn't care how much paperwork I had to do, I was done with this man. Before I could get back, he screamed my name and ran up to me. He gripped my shoulder, and I brushed him off.

"Don't you dare touch me with those filthy hands." I hissed, packing enough venom into my glare to kill an elephant.

"But…Ulquiorra, how…how did you become a hollow?" he stuttered. He didn't care that I was in front of him; he was just worried to have the title of 'hollow boy's dad'.

"I don't owe you any explanations. You are a murderer and a liar, and I am disgusted to share the same gene pool as you." I hissed, my vision clouding from my anger. "You will never be a man in the Serete."

"W-Wait! Ulquiorra!" He cried, running towards me. God, if he touched my wonderful trench coat again, I think I'd have to vomit, and then sanitize the thing. I sprinted ahead, trying to evade the clingy druggy. I leapt from the roofs of the small houses, coming up on the Serete wall. The wall's guardian, Jidambo, was groggily falling asleep.

I landed on his shoulder, and kicked his chin. "Jidambo, don't you ever let that man in the Serete. Captain's orders." I said, pointing to my father, who was desperately trying to climb up Jidambo's leg.

"U-U-Uh, Y-Yes…SIR!" he yelled, swinging his hand up to meet his forehead. Nodding in approval, I took one last look at Dad. He was clinging to dear life, and he looked at me with the eyes of a father. Those eyes were laced with betrayal and dishonor.

"Son…please, I just want to talk-"he stammered, sliding down Jidambo's pant leg.

"The time for talking is long gone. You disgust me." I hissed, hopping over the wall. I never want to hear my name in his mouth ever again. He has no right to address me so calmly.

After getting flash mobbed, and having paper thrown in my face, I was stuck with doing paperwork for the next 4 hours. Well, at least I didn't have to deal with my father.

After finishing the last of the sheets, I scurried off before they could give me more. I flew to the roof of the great prison tower, and lay on my back, watching the stars. The stars in the Serete were much brighter than that of the human worlds. Every star represented a fallen Soul Reaper, each one with a different name. The stars glowed brighter for every achievement the Soul Reaper had done while they were alive. Some were so bright, you could spot them from all the others. I wondered if my star would be bright…well, I was the first Arroncar in the Serete. I was also the first hollow-Soul Reaper hybrid. I had also defeated Kenpachi Zaraki, and made Squad 11 Captain. These were only a few of many to come, but I hope when I die, my star will be one of the brightest.


	18. Chapter 18: Reconciliation

After sleeping a restless sleep, I groggily slumped out of bed and to my sink. My face was paler than it usually was, and the lines form my eyes seemed darker, almost black. Lightly scratching the surface of my markings, I blamed my unusual complexion on last night's dreams. I had basically relived my whole journey as a hollow. Sometimes I wondered if my inner hollow was trying to torture me. Its voice had gotten quieter lately, so quiet I thought it had left. It chose a very inopportune moment to perk up, right when I was yelling at my dad. It probably amplified my anger a little.

After dressing in my wonderful trench coat, I brushed my teeth and combed my hair around my mask. Stepping outside, I noticed that the sky was still dark. Maybe my alarm clock was trying to torture me, too. Looking at a makeshift watch I had picked up in the Roukon District, I saw that it read 6:00AM. So it wasn't as early as I thought, but it was still pretty early.

Now I had to kill time until later. I thought I'd walk through the Roukon District, but my Father was there. Maybe I should converse with him…I'd need Tylenol to keep from throwing up. Oh, well. Better deal with this now. I nimbly hopped from edifice to edifice, until I was perched atop the Great Wall like a hawk gazing at its prey.

I saw my Father slumped against the wall, looking drained and as restless as I was. Giving a sigh of annoyance, I floated down and landed right in front of him. The force of my appearance seemed to jar him, for he opened his crusty eyes and looked at me. He groaned his sleepy groan, and turned over against the wall. My Father was always late to get up. He always wanted a few extra minutes of sleep.

Realizing who was standing in front of him, he bolted upright and started staring at me.

"What?...What are you staring at?" I asked, deciding not to glare at him. It was too early for glares.

"Oh…Um, but…you came…to see….me?" he whispered, stars floating around his eyes.

"Nope." I hissed, deciding that I didn't want to talk to him after all. I turned around, starting to walk but he caught up to me.

"Oh, wait! I…I didn't mean…" he sputtered, trying to pull me to a stop.

"What? Didn't mean _what?_" I huffed. There were thousands of things that he probably 'didn't mean' to do.

"I didn't mean to offend you…" he murmured. His tone did seem apologetic, but if there was one thing my Dad knew, it was how to deceive people.

I gave a long, exasperated sigh. My Father, the man who taught me everything I know, was cowering before me because I had some big title in the Serete. Even if he was evil at heart, it's not fair to watch your old man cower.

"Straighten up, old man. I hate formalities." I ordered. At hearing words that weren't insults directed at him, he brightened a little and straightened up.

"So, how're you here?" I asked. Good, start a conversation.

"Here? Well…I guess I died…" he muttered, starting to walk along side me.

"Yes, everyone here knows you're dead, but HOW did you die?" I barked. _Watch it, watch it. He's as frail as a dandelion puff. _I thought.

"I…well…" he whispered. I wasn't offended. I didn't want to mention my demise around other Arroncars when I first died. It was too painful.

"Hey, don't sweat it. Everyone here is dead, just like me, and just like you. None of them really like talking about how they passed, so I won't pressure you." I said.

"Oh…ok…but, how did you die?" he asked. He flinched at his own words, probably because he thought he'd never have to ask his son this.

"One of your friends put a bullet in my head." I explained. I said it as if I were asking someone to get me a coffee. I was fine with saying it now, but my Father looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"One…one of my friends?" he whispered.

"Yeah, one of your druggy friends." I said.

"Oh…I…I'm so sorry…" he whispered. He looked as if his insides would spontaneously combust, leaving him to wither on the streets like a deflated balloon.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm the best Soul reaper here, so the afterlife doesn't completely suck." I said, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

"But…you'll never see any of your friends again, you family-"he started, but coughed on 'family'. He wouldn't see his either.

"What do you mean? I visit Motoko all the time. She can see ghosts. So can Ichigo." I said.

"Whaaaat? Really?" He screamed at me. "That means…she can see me too?"

"You do qualify as a dead person, so yes, she can see you." I huffed. My Dad used to be strong, authoritative. Now he was just annoying.

"That's wonderful! Hey…about what you said yesterday…am I eligible to be a Soul Reaper?" he asked.

"Yup. You came out of the Soul reaper pool, which makes you a fledgling Soul Reaper." I explained. "If yu want, you can be one…" As much as I hated it, I couldn't keep him from it.

"But…would you want me to?" he murmured.

"Well, sure, as long as you don't throw paperwork in my face. Hate those things…" I muttered, shivering.

He smiled a genuine smile, keeping pace with me.

"Oh, but you're a hollow, right? How is a hollow a Soul Reaper?" he asked, looking confused.

"Dad, I'm not just ANY Soul Reaper. I'm THE BEST ONE. And I became that in about 3 months after I died. In fact, I out rank you by, say, 140 positions. You're just a soul now, then you'll go through training, then you'll get assigned to a squad, THEN you'll work your way up the squads. Plus, you'll never out rank me, considering I'd kick your butt every time you tried to take my position. I had to almost kill a guy to get where I am now." I explained.

"Whoa…Hehe…I guess I'm a little proud." He said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.

We spent the rest of the morning sharing tales of death and triumph, Father and Son.


	19. Chapter 19: Late

The rest of the day was spent strolling around with my Father. Afterwards, I took him to the gate, and into the Serete. He later gratefully accepted a position in the Training Academy. His man-hood was put to shame, for everyone knew he was my Father. He didn't like being in the training room, but I assured him that if he didn't do this first, he would live out the rest of his days in the Roukon District. He stopped complaining.

Later, I had received a report that Rukia Kutchiki, the head officer of my squad, had been gone for 3 weeks in the Human World. I told her, I told her! Come back in 2 weeks! That girl never listens, considering she IS a brick wall. Sighing my annoyance, I picked up a hell butterfly at the Head Office, and tuned in to Rukia's signal. It was vague for a few moments, but her voice eventually broke through.

"Captain..." she started, but I was already there.

"Ruuukkiiiaaaa, you were supposed to come back in 2 weeks! Now, tell me, darling, how many weeks has it been?" I yelled at the poor butterfly.

"Um...it's been 3, sir..." she whispered.

"Yes. And what is wrong with those two numbers?" I asked, sweetly.

"It seems that...I've been gone for more than I was allowed." She mumbled.

"Yes, you've been gone for waaaayyy too long! You're gonna get taken off my squad! Rukia, I trusted you!" I screamed. Go for the guilt.

"Yes, but Sir...I can't come back...you see, there was an incident...with Ichigo..." she whispered.

I was instantly listening to my full potential. "What? What happened to Ichigo?"

"Sir...he's become a substitute Soul Reaper...I gave him my Soul Energy..."She whispered. She sounded on the verge of tears. "He was going to get killed by a hollow..."

My breath caught in my throat, squeezing my lungs until they hurt. "Rukia..." I breathed.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I had no choice!" she choked. It was obviously hurting her to explain this.

"But, Rukia...they'll execute you for this..." I whispered. All the lunches we shared, all the happiness between us. She was going to be executed for helping a friend of mine. It seemed so wrong, but if I fought against it, we would both be executed. Everyone could make up a lame excuse that I attacked someone, and then it would be over.

She was about to say something, but she was cut short. Another transmission was tuning in. It was the head General.

"Rukia, I am very disappointed in you. We will dispatch someone to retrieve you. Rendezvous in the Central Park of Karakura." He ordered, then disconnected. He must have cut our connection, too because I couldn't hear Rukia anymore.

Then my mind drifted to Ichigo. He had become a Soul Reaper. His soul was compatible in the first place, considering he could see the dead. Who knows, he could even come to the Serete. But in the history of Soul Reapers, there had never been one count of a living person directly becoming a Soul Reaper. It was unthinkable. Your soul had to leave your body in order to become a Soul Reaper.

Later in the day, I confronted my team. I had them all line up in the courtyard. I began my speech.

"I have assembled you today in this manner, to inform you that Rukia Kutchiki has betrayed the Soul Society. She has given up her Soul Reaper powers to a mortal human, creating a rift in the celestial element. Such a disturbance has left the Soul Society rimmed with disorientation. Soul Energies are warped and imbalanced, Zanpaktos left unable to reach their full potential. Once Rukia regains her Soul reaper abilities, this should pass. Even if this happens, there has been a Red Alert call made to Squad 11. Rukia Kutchiki is to be executed for relinquishing her powers, and her secrets to an ordinary human."

Gasps rang throughout the soldiers, exchanged glances, and comforting motions. A few of the Soul Reapers looked genuinely upset, especially Renji Abari. His eyes had widened, and the color had left his face.

"But, Sir...this can't be possible!" he yelled, startling the others.

I sighed, unsure of how to settle him. I was horrible at comforting people. "I'm afraid it's all too true. I, too, am horribly upset at her course of actions. I know that you were both friends, so I cannot express how disappointed I am. It is a sad day for the Soul Society. Also, it brings me great discomfort to tell you, Renji, that it will be _you_ who brings her back." I explained.

"W-What? No! No, I can't do that! I...I can't bring her in to get executed! Please, Captain, pick someone else!" he shrieked.

My face was grave, as I stared at the ground in between my shoes. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but it is not my job to decide. The Head General chose you himself. I'm sorry." I said. I really was, although I would be even sorrier if I had to get her myself.

After arguing with him some more, he finally set off through the gate towards the human world. I watched him go, knowing that when he came back, he'd be a changed man. Such a young soldier, spoiled rotten by the tyrannies of war. He would always know in the back of his mind that he brought her to the Serete to have her life taken from her.


	20. Chapter 20: Return

The next few days were mainly spent setting things up for the new prisoner. I hated to have to take part in such an act, but I didn't have much a choice. Eventually, the bell rang out, summoning Renji's return. He had a shameful looking Rukia with her, as well as several accompanying Soul Reapers. I gazed at her, remorsefully as she shuffled across the pavement. She looked into my eyes once, but she seemed to broken to keep my gaze.

After a trail, which was more painful than I expected, Rukia was sentenced to execution for the act of giving her Soul Reaper powers to a human. It was one of the most un honorable crimes a Soul Reaper could commit, but she took her punishment dignifiedly. A few hours later, she was placed in the great jail that I had known all too well. People were allowed to visit, but only briefly, so I took the chance. I stepped through the wide archway that led inside the building. Rukia was huddled into a ball at the back.

"Hey…" I started, sitting in front of her. She seemed to curl up even tighter at my words.

"Don't look at me, Captain…" she whispered, trembling.

I waited for her to regain her calm before I spoke. "You know, I used to be in this cell. In fact, it was but only 3 weeks ago I was chained to this very wall you sit against." I said.

Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her face buried in them. She looked up slightly, her eyes shining brightly against the darkness.

"Yeah, that was when I was that test subject. Remember, when I beat you at that silly training game?" I said, chuckling. She smiled behind her knees.

"That's only because you've been sword fighting much longer than I. If we were using Kidos I would have won." She whispered.

"Yeah, I bet you would have." I said, closing my eyes. I tried to picture her standing over me, victorious. It didn't come easy.

Her smile faded as she dug her face back into her knees. She looked as if she'd sleep like that. "Captain, why are you here?" she whispered.

"Because I thought you'd be lonely." I said. It was also to settle my own guilt about letting her go that day. If she had stayed in the Serete, she would never be in this situation.

"Captain...that's nice and all, but…I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. Please, don't trouble yourself-"she whined, but I stopped her.

"Rukia, you do understand I am your superior, and as a superior, I shall do whatever I want." I said in a joking tone.

We talked some more, the giggles in our voice resonating throughout the walls. After a while, I departed, giving my best wishes. Although I knew they would not be answered.

**Short chapter, I know, but I'm getting sort of writers block on this one. -_- no need for alarm, I just need filler stuff until Ichigo arrives.**


	21. Chapter 21: Arrival

The rest of the day, I felt as if a thick black cloud had been following me, reminding me of my failure in protecting my troops. Every time I tried to turn around and do something, it would zap me with its cruel lightning of remorse, telling me that there was nothing I could do so just keep walking. At lunch, the dining hall was silent. Even the noisiest of people had quieted down, feeling possibly the same remorse I felt. It made me frustrated, to think one little mistake could lead to the moral downfall of the entire Serete.

Renji was the worst of it. It was like a whirlpool, except in reverse. Where in the eye, it would be the calmest, but Renji radiated a certain aura that seemed to push his emotions onto others. People tried to express their sadness in the event, but he'd push them away, unable to accept their kindness. It was like watching an animal, left to die a slow and painful death.

I was strolling along; surprised no one had asked me to do paperwork for the entire day. I guessed they were leaving me alone. I didn't visit Rukia much after my first, because I wouldn't be able to hold my stature if I did. Although the Serete was quiet, one day an agitated butterfly landed on m shoulder, squeaking and sputtering. Accepting the message, it was a command to all captains.

"**Attention! Attention! Intruder in the Serete! North District, travelling in a pack, orange hair! All Captains be aware, he is armed and determined to harm the residents of the Serete! Attention! Attention!"** it barked, flapping its wings happily in having carried out its duties.

"Orange hair? Ichigo's here?" I yelled at the butterfly, who shrank back into my coat, losing its happy air. "I remember now…he was the one Rukia gave her powers to! It all makes sense! He must be here for Rukia!" I screeched.

Activating the intercom on the butterfly, I sent a quick message to my friends. "I'm sure you all have just received this transmission, but do not be alarmed. The intruder is a friend of mine, and is in fact the one who Rukia relinquished her powers to. Please, do not engage the intruder in battle, I will handle all complications. Thank you." I said, letting the butterfly flutter off, with a new found purpose.

Leaping from building to building, I scanned the streets for an orange spot. It wouldn't be hard, since the Serete was mostly white. As I was travelling, I felt a vibration under my feet. Glancing to my right, I saw a mushroom cloud rise into the sky, a series of shout emanating from the area.

Hurrying there, I saw several men poised with swords hefted, facing the intruder. It was Ichigo, but he looked quite stressed. Hopping over the guards, I landed right in front of him.

"Really, Ichigo? That warehouse was where all the books were." I whined, making a sour face. His face filled with relief.

"Ulquiorra! I was hoping I'd run into you. You see, it's Rukia, she-"

"Yes, yes, I know. She's currently being held in the Serete Jail for treason. I bet I can guess why you're here~" I said, giggling.

"To save…Rukia." He said, exasperated. "You can't execute her, she saved my life! You can't do this!" he yelled, lifting his sword higher.

"Ichigo, darling, I hate it just as much as you, but it can't be helped. We Soul Reapers are very strict, and Rukia knew it was against the rules when she did it. Please understand." I reasoned, knowing that as stubborn as he is, he wouldn't back down.

"Captain, do you know this person?" one of the guards asked.

"Why yes, we're very good friends. You can all go now, I've got this." I said.

They reluctantly back away, scuttling from whence they came.

"Ulquiorra, if you don't let her go, I'll just have to fight you for her." He growled. This caught me a little off guard. I never thought Ichigo would draw a blade against mine, let alone threaten me. As one of the last living friends I had, I was a little hurt.

"Ichigo, would you really fight me?" I asked, looking grim.

"If it meant saving a friend." He hissed.

"But, I'm your friend too, you know. Much better friends with you then Rukia is, I bet." I said. I still didn't draw my sword.

"I've had enough!" he screamed, and flung himself at me. His blade came whirling down in front of me, right in line with my forehead. Sighing in annoyance, I lifted two fingers. I caught his blade in between them and plucked it out of his hands, like one would pluck fruit from a tree.

"So, you even have a Zanpakto?" I said, examining it. "It's in quite a state. You don't really take care of your weapon, do you?" I asked. I was quite angry with Ichigo. He thinks he can barge into my Serete and act like he can do whatever he wants? That's not how it works. I shattered the blade in my hands.

"Wha…my sword!" he yelled, frozen in place.

"Your attack was so pitiful. I'm going to have to confiscate this until you are a _proper_ swordsman." I said. The shattered pieces of his blade floated through the air. They remade themselves into a crystalline orb, which looked as if it had been smelt by black onyx. "It's quite a beautiful design, though." I sucked the orb into my rift, where I would stash it until later.

"You idiot, how am I supposed to save Rukia now?" he screamed.

"Hey, it's your sword. It is bonded to you. Try calling it. If you can wrench it from my rift, I'll give it to you. I'll even turn it into a sword again. Go ahead, try." I said.

His face twisted in a look of anger, and then he closed his eyes. I felt but the slightest tug in the celestial being, but there was no way he had enough power to get his sword back.

"Exactly. It is the very tool you rely on, yet you don't even know its name. Your sword will end up hating you one day, and refuse to work for you. Zanpaktos are living things, manifestations of their very owners. Yours doesn't even know who its owner is, because you barely even care for it. I'm sorry, Ichigo, but I am the leader of the Serete. If I find it fit to do something, God help me, it will be done." I hissed. His eyes widened, and it seemed he was actually in fear of me. Good.

"So you're just going to let Rukia die? Is that it?" he screeched.

"No. You're going to save her, I know it. You just need more training first. I'll even escort you to the jail myself, but only when you and your Zanpakto are perfectly synchronized. Enough to even perform the Bankai." I said. "A Soul Reaper can have as many blades as they choose, but they can only be made by the Soul Reaper themselves. The blade they make will be poor, and insufficient. Make one of these blades, learn its name, train with it, and consider it the very blade I have taken from you. Once you can master a pitiful substitute blade, you may have your real one."

With that, I gripped him by the cloth around his neck, and teleported into my rift. He screamed and wriggled in fear but my grip was steady and strong. I teleported to the fields outside the Serete. Picking a hell butterfly from my pocket, I summoned Udahara.

"Udahara is quite the Soul Reaper, and is a specialist with mastering blades." I hissed, dropping him from my grasp. He looked up at me, his face white with fear. "I'll bring you back when you're a Soul Reaper."


	22. Chapter 22: Birthday

I was thoroughly displeased with Ichigo. Yes, I was happy he was going to bust Rukia out of jail, but he came in here with an unnamed, un-mastered sword, and just expected to bypass all of the Soul Reapers into the Serete. What was he thinking? That was like going to war with a fork. I didn't want to banish him to the highlands of the Soul Society, but if he had any ambition to save Rukia, he'd follow my advice and do some training. I wondered if he would ever be a Soul Reaper in the academy. It would be fun to train with him.

For the next few days, I heard nothing of the rogue Soul Reaper, and liked it. Everyone was calm, which meant everyone was doing what they were supposed to do. I knew what I was going to do for the next few hours, and that was visiting Motoko. I had a special clock in my bedroom, one that told me the exact date and time in the human world. The clock read December 13th, 2011. Motoko's birthday.

Excited I was going to see her again, I went to the training house. My father was training there, with Kido practices. He made small holes in the targets, but he still needed work. Ducking under someone's raised arm, I went to the instructor.

"Oh, Ulquiorra! What are you doing here?" he asked, his same old smile on his face. "Here to visit your papa?"

"Yes, and it is very urgent that I remove him from today's training." I said. "Some urgent business in the human world."

His face seemed confused, although one knew better than to argue with me. "Sure thing, Cap. Just be sure he's back by tomorrow, we're doing sword training. He's not very good at it, so-"he tried to say, but I had already thanked him and left.

Running up behind me father, who was diligently firing pitiful little blue orbs at the target, I lifted him into the air as I leapt from building to building. I heard surprised gasps come from behind me, especially from my father.

"W-What? Oh…oh, it's you, Ulquiorra…" he wheezed, and began running alongside me. "What is it?"

"It's December 13th in the human world." I said. "We're going there."

"December 13th…that's Motoko's birthday!" he said, taking pride in having remembered it.

"Yes, but it's already 3:00pm in the human world, so we have to go there _now_." I said sternly, picking him up again.

"Hey, what-"he started to protest, but I had already sucked him into my rift. Although it was unsafe for me to use the tunnel that took Soul Reapers from the Serete to the human world, my rift was perfectly safe. Although he writhed and shouted as we were whipped through space and dimension, we safely landed on the roof of our old house.

"Acckk!" he coughed, landing on his hands and knees on the roof, breathing heavily. "What WAS that?"

"The way us Arroncars teleport." I said. I silently drifted from the roof down to the bedroom window that belonged to my sister. My dad came too, but he was less graceful. Motoko was sitting on her bed, watching TV, as she turned her head and saw the both of us. She smiled when she saw me, but not so much when she saw dad.

"Daddy?" she asked, confused. She walked over to us. Dad seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Motoko…you've grown, haven't you?" he laughed. She smiled, but she still looked doubtful.

"Daddy, why are you with Ulquiorra? Isn't he dead?" she asked, her eyes still locked on my dad.

"Yeah, well…I'm dead too." He said, looking sad. She looked sad, too, but not as sad as she was when she found out I was dead.

"Well, anyways, do you wanna know why we're here?" I asked her, smiling. She nodded her head vigorously, as if the harder she shook it, the faster she'd get an answer. "For your birthday."

She started giggling, and tried to hug me. She passed right through me. Looking confused, she remembered I was no longer solid.  
>"Teehee! Bother, where's my present then?" she giggled, twirling around.<p>

"I don't have it with me. We have to go somewhere to get it." I said. I had loved to riddle her, giving her strange phrases to find her toys I had hidden. She'd get so frustrated then, but now she was a master at riddles. "Can you guess what it is?"

She shook her head, so I decided to tell her. "I can take you anywhere in the world. In space, even. For your birthday, I'll take you anywhere you want. If you want to see the bottom of the ocean, I'll take you there. The moon, I'll bring you there, too." I said.

She started giggled happily, like a child who had gotten out of school. She ran over to a poster of the world hung on her wall, and pointed to a small island just west of Mexico.

"The Galapagos Islands! I wanna go there!" she squealed. "There's a whole bunch of species of animals there that no one's ever discovered!"

"Alright, then." I said. Grabbing her hand, I sucked her into my rift as well as my father. I didn't want to teleport immediately, because I wanted to show her my teleport room.

"Whhooaaaa….where are we?" she asked, looking around.

"My teleport room. This orb here is the Earth." I said, pointing to the globe in front of me. "And that one is Weakomundo." I said, pointing to the black and gold one.

"What's that one?" she asked, pointing to the silver one.

"That's the Soul Society. You'll see it someday." I said, and started spinning the Earth globe in front of me. I saw the small island in front of me, and chose it to teleport. The room was sucked out from around us, making us fall into deep, merciless space.

Motoko shrieked and laughed, as if she were on a rollercoaster. My dad looked green. Moments later we were standing in the grass at the Galapagos Islands. Motoko started giggling and running around. Looking around in the trees, I saw monkeys climbing from the vines, colorful birds chattering away to each other. Even a golden frog sitting on a leaf croaked loudly. It looked like a paradise.

I caught up to my sister, as she directed my attention to another monkey. It twisted along the vines, even though it was smaller than my thumb. Pulling me away, she pointed to a bird with such a big, ballooned chest; I thought it'd pop if I touched it. Then, there were the bugs.

We saw giant, stick like ones clamped to branches, as well as colorful, neon-color slugs pushing through the mud. There were snakes bigger than tree trunks slithering across the ground, pigs with long, pronged tusks jutting from their lips. It seemed almost one of every animal lived here, all of them in harmony. After a long day, it was time to go home. She was reluctant to go, but she came.

After teleporting, we stood in her bedroom. My dad and I were exhausted, but Motoko looked as if she could go for a round 2.

"Thank you, brother!" She squealed. "That was the funnest birthday ever!"

"No problem, squirt." I said. She giggled, and said goodbye. I hated to leave my sister, but I had work to do in the Serete. Taking my father by the robes, I used my rift to get to the Serete, ending another day.


	23. Chapter 23: Blade

Walking through the streets of the Serete, I wondered how Ichigo was doing. Was he making progress? He better be, after all the lecturing I gave him. Deciding I'd check on him, I skipped across the houses of the Serete, nimbly leaping over the wall that separated the Roukon District from the Soul Society. Landing on the border of the training field, I saw it was horribly destroyed. Holes dotted the ground, trees were knocked over, training dummies slain. It was in complete disarray. Looking in the distance, I saw an orange head poking out amongst the rubble.

Hopping over, it was indeed Ichigo, who was diligently training against Udahara, who seemed to have met quite a challenge. He was leaping from wall to wall, defending himself against Ichigo's blade, which was whipping through the air mercilessly. He seemed quite determined, so much so I hated to disturb him.

Leaping through the air, I landed on top of Ichigo's blade just as it was about to come down on Udahara's once more. The blade shattered into several pieces, clearly unusable. He looked up at me, bewildered by my sudden appearance.

"Wha-DAMMIT ULQUIORRA, NOT AGAIN!" he screeched, holding the pieces of his broken blade.

"Tell me its name." I asked, looking down at him from where I was standing.

"Ah...it was Nakako..." he mumbled absently, still clutching his broken sword. It twitched and quivered at the sound of its name, but remained shattered.

"Good. I bet you're wondering why I've broken your newly mastered blade." I asked him, sounding a little condescending.

"Yeah, that would be great." He hissed angrily, dropping the useless pieces of metal.

"Because you don't need that one anymore. You can have your own. But you must master your new one now, just as you have mastered this one." I explained, pointing at his previous, and now late one. He smiled briefly, but still looked a little doubtful. "Look, I'll even give it to you."

Opening my rift, I reached inside and drew the melted blade out, placing it in his hands.

"Thank you, but...it's kind of broken..." he mumbled, looking at the orb his sword rested in.

"You've learned the name of _that_ one, so focus on _this _one. If the sword truly wants to fight, it will tell you its name." I explained. He looked at it longingly before closing his eyes and focusing on the sword.

The liquid inside seemed to bubble and reform, becoming something new. It twisted and writhed inside the crystalline orb, smashing at the walls, begging to be let free. Ichigo's eyes flew open, his face serious with new found knowledge.

"Zangetsu..." he called, the blade busting out of its container. It splattered through the air, seeming to float for a moment, before dropping in front of him. A thick, heavy blade lay in front of him now, teeming with energy and the feeling of readiness. He picked it up, testing it out in his grasp. He smiled, knowing now, with his new blade, he'd have a better chance at saving Rukia.

"Treat it nicely." I called, walking back towards the Serete. Ichigo bolted up from the ground, his sword awkwardly waving back and forth in his hand.

"Hey, wait! You're leaving already?" he yelled, chasing after me.

"But of course. As lead Soul Reaper, I have much paperwork to do. Ta-ta~." I called, wiggling my fingers at him. Of course I didn't have paperwork to do; I just wanted to see my Serete again.

**Yes, yes, I know, more fillers. Don't worry, next chapter will be the one where Ichigo saves the damsel in distress, er, Rukia.**


	24. Chapter 24: Memories

**Sorry for the wait, guys! I know, I know, I don't update very often, but at least I'm not one of those people who don't update for months and months. It's only been a week or so. Anyways, I promised Ichigo would come to the rescue in this one, so enjoy!**

My breath rasped uneasily out of my chest as my sandaled feet patted against the dirt road. Why was I so uneasy, when I was usually cool and collected? Well, there's only one answer to that. They had moved Rukia's execution to be held in approximately 2 hours. I had no authority as to when she'd be executed, but I did stress my rank when I found out. I had stated that as the captain of squad 11, and Rukia's superior, her execution be left just as it was. Then, they pulled the 'dirty hollow with no authority over Soul Reaper matters' card. Insulted, I had vacated the area, disgusted they had been so cruel to their Leader.

Pouting along the way, I skittered up the winding steps that led to the prison cell, and disappointingly found it empty. Knowing they had brought Rukia to the platform where people were executed, I burst out of the cells, catching one of the guards in my wind current. All the while, I was praying that Ichigo had mastered his sword already, although even I knew it was much to ask. Even I had taken at least 4 months to master my Dark Lance, in which the exercises were grueling and horrible.

Cursing to myself, I continued leaping across the houses and sprinting up the hill towards the execution platform. I stopped dead when I found Rukia chained across the great pillars, her head hung low in shame. Running up towards the Grand General, he seemed surprised to see me.

"General, you have to stop this!" I begged, huffing from the run.

"Captain Ulquiorra? What are you doing here? Anyways, I'm sorry, but Rukia has committed crimes against the Soul Society. Crimes of which I find hard to forgive." The old man lectured, stroking his long, grey beard.

"Yeah, but can we at least wait a while?" I sputtered, agitatedly glancing over my shoulder constantly for any sign of an orange head. None in sight.

"Captain, you need to step back." The General muttered sourly, holding his hand out, waving me off. What was with everyone today? It was like I had just arrived in the Soul Society, looked upon as if I were a cockroach, just asking to be squished under a boot. Going in for another blow, I gritted my teeth and mustered up my authority.

"General, I'll have you know that I have as much power in this as you do, and I demand that execution is delayed." I hissed, standing as close to the General as I could muster.

"Little hollow…" he murmured quietly, almost as if he were a parent soothing a child. "You have forgotten your place!" his sincerity gone, he let loose a powerful blast of energy, hitting me square in the chest. Staggering backwards, I was flung off the hill, sent tumbling down the slope. As I fell, I heard a distant chuckle resonate from atop the hill.

Cursing yet again that day, I plucked myself from the strewn rocks and dirt, scaling the great hill once more. It was baffling how people only saw the outer shell of a person, despising them just for it. No one knew what a real person was like. They'd just gauge someone from what they looked like on the outside. Silently fuming, I once again reached the top of the hill to see the Grand Executioner hefting his large spear, preparing himself to execute Rukia.

Praying I wasn't too late, I dashed towards the masked Soul Reaper, but many hands held me back. There were countless Soul Reapers; Renji, Kenpachi, and even my old teacher. I hated how they cared enough to keep me back, but I know I would let loose on anyone who dared kill Rukia. I suddenly caught myself, confused as to what I was thinking. Why did I care so much for this strange girl? She was just another Soul Reaper, but somehow I had become quite attached to her.

In the early days, when everyone would shun me and despise my rank and species, I was kept from many Soul Reaper activities. At first, I wasn't allowed to attend meals with the other Soul Reapers, not even for breakfast. I wasn't allowed to go to school, o for the time being, I had to train myself on my own time. I lived in a decrepit, old shack that had used to be a warehouse, where the floor boards were alive with mice and moss clung to the walls.

I had felt alone, as if no one cared how I felt or what I wanted to make of my poor existence. I would just keep to myself, moving among the branches of trees; eating apples and playing with the birds. Then, a small voice had interrupted me from frolicking sadly in my loneliness. Looking down from the branches, I had seen Rukia's small, round face peering up at me curiously. Startled by the appearance of a Soul Reaper, I had retreated into the trees, trying to get away as fast as possible.

Shouting and calling, she had followed me into the trees, eager to keep up with me. Although I tried ever so hard to escape the girl's treacherous clutches, I had ended up tripping over a protruding stump and flopping down into the dirt. Still dazed from the sudden stop in movement, I had squirmed around in the dirt to see Rukia holding her hand out to me, wanting to help me up. I was still afraid, but I had taken the hand.

Seeing that the Soul Reaper wasn't at all scary thing, we had spent the whole day talking. I was still confused as to how we became such quick friends, but it didn't keep us from becoming better friends. I told her about Huevo Mundo and how I was still the runt of the litter on that side. I told her how I had wanted to die, and how I was saved by the Soul Reapers and about my family and how my father had sent it into turmoil. To anyone, it would seem like petty lies, as I child would claim false things for attention.

I had half expected her to grunt in disgust and stroll away, but she stayed by my side and listened to my stories. It had made me happy to see her eyes widened in interest, and her unrelenting questions about Arroncars and hollows. Unafraid, I had answered all her questions with diligence, and she had enjoyed all the answers. As the sun dipped low below the horizon, bathing the world in a pink light, she left me in the shadows, scuttling back to her family. She had told me she had a brother, and that was all she had. Although he was cold to her most of the time, she said she wanted to be just as strong as him when she grew up.

I was sad that she had left, but I knew I'd see her tomorrow. Someone so interested in a little outcast was bound to show up again. Sure enough, the next day I had seen her black, little head poking up around the bushes. She was looking all throughout the trees, undoubtedly looking for me. That day, she had taken me to see the Roukon District. I was so shocked to see that there were poor people in the Soul Society. They were all dressed in rags, and lived in shabby, dirty houses along a bug infested rock road. I had thought all people in the Soul Society were rich, and lived the lives of lavish kings and queens. It pained me to see souls bounding happily along, families in hand. They didn't need riches or delicious meals. They just needed each other.

Rukia had shown me around the entire Roukon district, even to the place where she had used to live as a spirit. She held my hand as she walked me through the dusty walls of the old shack, the remnants of what must have been a living room strewn across the muddy floor. She seemed to take sentiment in the shabby house, delicately tracing her hands along the disgusting walls, sitting down on the creaky, old couch. Afterwards, she had led me back to the Soul Society, another day gone past.

I had thanked her for giving me a tour, and she left smiling. I did want to see her again; we had so much fun when we were together. It seemed like I'd never see another smiling, welcoming face again and that Rukia's was the only one I'd get. She had understood how lonely I was, and had been with me because of it. No one else would have stepped up and did this, and I knew it for a fact. There was only one Rukia in the whole Soul Society, and I was lucky enough to be her friend.

When I had become Captain of squad 11, instead of arguing that she should have been appointed Captain, she congratulated me, and gladly became my subordinate. We would still walk the halls of the Serete, hand in hand, reminiscing about past strolls and jokes. We were always having fun these days. I felt so helpless of the fact that she would be taken from me, and I could do nothing. Ichigo wouldn't get here in time; Rukia would be executed, all for a silly little crime that could be washed away by a simple bribe.

I had to think for a moment. Rebelling could possible mean a demotion, even execution of such a lowly hollow. But what was worth more; my rank, or my Rukia? Hissing a breath of air I hadn't known I had been holding, I wrenched myself from the Soul Reaper's grasp, and began sprinting towards the pillars. Just as I was about to scale he tall, wooden edifices, a high pitched sound sliced the air. I knew that sound; it was a flash step. Looking up, I saw Ichigo, clad in black Soul Reaper gear and adorned with a full sized Zanpakto, crouching on the beams of the Exorcism platform.

With everyone gasping in surprise, Ichigo plucked Rukia from the stands, leaping off into the distance. There were hushed shouts and commands, as Soul Reapers flooded down from the hill. I didn't move. Dropping to my knees, I took solace in the fact that Ichigo had made it in the nick of time. Had he come a minute later, Rukia would be splattered all over the grass of the Execution grounds.


	25. Chapter 25: Letter

After yesterday's incredibly gut wrenching, blood curdling, spine snapping ordeals, I felt completely drained; and that's a rare occurrence for me. Ichigo had ferried Rukia off somewhere, and I didn't care where really, just as long as she was safe. After sleeping for several hours straight, thankful that everyone was too busy to bombard me with paperwork, I finally felt back on top. I was once again doing the thing I loved most: strolling through the Serete. I love looking up at the cascading, white spires as well as the smaller buildings they were all amazing, even though they seemed so delicate.

Everything was peaceful again. They had decided to pardon Rukia after reviewing how much of an asset she was to the Soul Society, as well as offering her substitute a Soul Reaper job. Now I would at least have some friends around here instead of people full of murderous glances and hushed insults. Although everything seemed complete to me, I was struck with a very disturbed feeling one day. It had occurred when I had arrived home from a day of Soul-Reapering. A strange, enigmatic note had been deposited onto my desk in my private living house that no one can get into without authorization. Ever.

The note was concealed in an oddly black envelope, which was already odd, considering Soul Reapers used traditional white to signify good news. Maybe this was bad news. What finally struck me was what was on the front. Holding the small, black paper in my hand, I saw a crest on the flap that I hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime. The crest of the Arroncars. My hands were already shaking as I traced the white seal with my finger, the seal in the shape of a hollow's skull. It had used to be so familiar, stamped on every letter I had sent, but now it was strange and dangerous. I didn't even want to open the letter.

I knew that if the Arroncars wanted something to do with the Serete, I was endangering everyone by not opening the letter, so I obliged to the Arroncars' wishes. Gingerly tearing the top of the ash-smelling paper, I retrieved the soft, parchment inside. The writings were scribbled messily in an old ink well pen, most likely the quill of a bird hollow. Sighing in disgust, I slowly read the contents.

_Dear Ulquiorra,_

_We know where you are, and we know what you've done. You've betrayed the blood that is yours, and the kin that have fought to make you what you are. As you most likely wouldn't know, this is a sin punishable by the most severe consequence in the history of the Arroncar. Please be aware that we have alerted all of our most skillful Arroncars that if found, you are to be immediately delivered straight to Huevo Mundo. We also know of your rank in the Soul Society, and have placed many spies amongst your Soul Reapers. We also know who is working with you, and we will use this to get close to you. We shall be seeing you very soon, Captain Shiffer. I can promise you that._

_Sincerely, Hallibell._

The last sentences left me with a sick feeling in my stomach. I had remembered Hallibell, and how awful she was. I guessed she had been promoted to the leader of the Arroncars now, since she had sent me such a commanding letter. Quickly destroying the parchment, I considered my options. 1) Stay with the Soul Reapers, and possibly have everyone killed. 2) Willingly return to the Arroncars and be killed myself. 3) Scream and run whilst flailing my arms like a bat out of hell. The third option seemed tempting, but I knew it was useless. Even if I willingly went along, the Soul Reapers would be killed. I would never be able to live with that.

So I chose option 1. Even if a brigade of the strongest Arroncars appeared on the Serete front doorstep, we would most likely be able to destroy them. Not only is the Serete jam packed with experienced, agile Soul Reapers, but they had an Arroncar on their side. Then, something caught me. The letter had detailed spies amongst the base. This thought shattered my entire train of good ideas. The spies would most likely be close to me, even on my own squad, and probably know how to disable me. First, I would have to find out who these spies were. Then I would put my ideas into motion. But then there were the others. I contemplated telling them of the strange letter, thus preparing them for an attack. If I did this, I would come across as a traitor that wormed my way into their stronghold to ambush them, but then becoming soft and partnering with the Soul Reapers like in Avatar.

A sudden depression plopped itself right on my shoulders, so heavy my head drooped towards the floor. I felt completely and utterly defeated. It wasn't a good feeling. I had been feeling it a lot lately. Sighing in grief over the future loss of all my companions, I lumbered out the door to begin my search. As an Arroncar, I could easily depict who was a hollow and who was not, but only if I tried. That was probably why I hadn't found them before. Skittering towards the spires of the Serete, I nimbly leaped upon the buildings, the familiar feel of the roofs under my feet. Mustering all of my hollow energy together, I let my hollow presence leak out of me, illuminating the paths around me. I saw creatures writhing against the white walls, shadows slithering across the floor. Shrieks pierced the air, those of humans and those of monsters. This was what it was like to have the mind of a hollow.

I had always supressed these things, in order to keep my wits about me, but I could always resurface it. In order to reach my full hollow strength, I had to be in this state; even if it hurt me. The writhing shapes and horrible images must have been the souls of my slain brothers, trapped inside the Serete, forced to be purified. That's what happens to hollows when they are slain; transported to the Serete and used to create the foundation of the purity. It sounded so horrible to me know, so much so it churned my stomach. I reminded myself that I had not been properly made a hollow, so I shouldn't be feeling sympathy. Shaking my head, I continued through the bloodied, horror stricken streets of the Serete, searching for my target.

A shape caught my eye, although it was quite strange at first, I knew what it was. I could see it through all the buildings, a red spot amongst all the black shadows. It was absolutely horrifying. I had found the Arroncar, but instead of a simple person, it was a horrible monster, a beast that harboured more writhing shapes than anything in the Serete. This Arroncar had killed more things than any Soul Reaper here, as I could see the black, mottled shapes clinging to his clothes, trying to pull themselves up but smashed to the ground by his spirit energy.

Taking a deep breath, I leapt from the rooftops, trying to get closer to him. He seemed oblivious to my presence, even as I stopped right behind him. The odor he gave off was absolutely rancid; it smelt like rotten souls and dried blood, the insides of bones and the cries of the innocent. I _would _have killed this abomination to all things good, but I couldn't. Not yet. I had to know who it was. Grasping the creature's shoulder, I turned him around to see a face not even a demonic mother could love. His eyes were that of black pits that leaked spilt blood, and a smile that wound itself around his entire face, like an insect or some other horrifying thing.

"_**Can I help you, Captain Shiffer?**_" he hissed. His voice to anyone else would be normal, even charming, but to me it sounded like tar being poured into cracks in a road, like rocks falling from a mountain, crushing the unknowing passerby's below. I almost had to close my eyes; they stung so badly from his retched breath.

"Ah…yes, I wanted to assign you something. You see, there is…some riffraff in the Roukon District! Yes, it's very terrible, and it requires your immediate attention. I think I might just go with you, to make sure no one is hurt. I heard it was in the plains, by the birthing pools." I explained, trying to keep a straight face. He looked confused for a moment, but remembered his place and did as he was told. Following him through the Serete, I gladly switched off my hollow powers, to get a look at the creep's face. The face that replaced a almost made me stop in place, a face I had known so well over the years. A face I would never forget from this day forward.

Renji Abarai.

**Well, there you go, brand new chapter just for chu. I don't own Avatar as it was depicted above; it belongs to James Cameron. Jeez, to think you'd know that by now. I do love that movie…I know, I know, this chapter is a little dark and all, what with Ulquiorra's head being all scaaarry. If you don't like it, just review and say "NO NO NO I want happy things." And I will try my best to make it better~. Also, I know some of you will hate me for this, but yes, Renji is a baddy. I was thinking as I was typing at my computer, I'm like, "Hmm…who should I make evil. Bayakuya? No…hmm…RENJI!" and it happened just like that. Well, maybe if you all hate it enough, I'll do something about it, but for now, RENJI IS EVIL! Mwuahahaha….**


	26. Chapter 26: Caught

How could this have happened? The Serete had one of the tightest securities in the universe, but this Arroncar had managed to slip in. I was always setting off the wards, putting Soul Reapers on edge because they thought it was a hollow. Now I bet they didn't even bother when an alarm sounded, because they'd know it was me. They wouldn't check if they went off.

Trying to keep my composure, I obediently follow the intruding hollow or Renji as I should say, to the Roukon district for the said 'problem'. What was I going to do? Should I cut him down? Should I wait? If I killed the intruder, I would be accused of murder. Even if I stated that he was a hollow, no one would believe me, considering the tight leash I was kept on. Maybe I'd get him to release his human form before I engaged in anything. Yes, that was it. Get everyone in on his little plan.

We had arrived right at the other end of the Roukon District, where the twin pools were located, and Renji seemed a little dismayed.

"We surveyed the entire Roukon District, but everything was as of normal. Are you sure there was a problem?" he asked in that falsely innocent way of his. His red hair blew in the breeze, and he seemed to be enjoying his position, although I knew what he was. I hated it.

"No, there wasn't a problem," I stated, enjoying his confused look. "I just wanted to discuss something."

"All right, then…what would that be?" He looked really confused, although I knew he was catching on to what was happening. I could see the recognition in his eyes.

"Renji, I never thought it would be you. When I found out that another Arroncar was in the Serete, I honestly thought it'd be Gin or another creepy character." I pressed my fingers to my forehead, making a 'tsk tsk' kind of motion. "Really, I am disappointed."

He looked honestly surprised for a moment, before his eyes widened in surprise. He looked so confused, so frightened, I felt like just walking away and forgetting about everything I had seen today. But I knew I could never do that.

"Wh…ah…when d-did you…find out?" he asked, gasping for air as if it pained him to breath, talk, do anything.

"About 2 hours ago, when I stated there was a problem. No one else knows of your true identity, but trust me, they will soon enough." I felt betrayed he had lied for me so long, my faithful right-hand man. He had been snickering behind my back for months, maybe even a year now.

"N-N…this…ah…" he just couldn't find the words. It was as if he had forgotten how to speak intelligently.

"Renji, quit this act. Reveal your true form, or I'll be forced to drag it out of you." I sighed in impatience, wondering how long he'd stand there and sweat.

"Ah…N-No…they…they'll never let me back! I…I can't!" he pleaded, his voice shaking with the intensity of the situation. He had genuine fear in his eyes, fear he'd lose it all.

"Renji, there's no way I'm letting you back in the Serete after this. You just mind as well give it up." I was getting quite tiresome, but I'd let him take his time. It would be theatrical.

"No…not the Serete…in Hueco Mundo! They told me…to bring you back, and if…if I couldn't manage that, not to come back at all! Come on, you…you have to know what this is like! I've got nowhere to go!" It hurt to see such a radiant, stubborn man plead as Renji was, groveling at my feet like an insect.

"Well then, escape to the human world." The answers were so obvious, and I had to point them out to him.

"T-They'll find me there too! They've got guards everywhere! You haven't seen it. The horrors they're brewing…even new types of hollows! Ones that are immune to every Soul Reaper technique known to an Arroncar!" he gasped out, exasperated. "I…I want out of it, Ulquiorra, I…I don't want to do it anymore!"

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that." Really, there wasn't. I had no status in Hueco Mundo, so I had no choice over the government, although I was generally surprised of Renji's statement.

"Yes, there are things you can do! You're an Arroncar, and the others know this! You…you can tell them _I'm _an Arroncar, and they'll protect me! Please, do it! I've got nothing left!" The poor man was on his knees now, although I was probably the only Arroncar the Serete could handle right now.

"Well, you MUST have another reason other than that. The Serete isn't a bodyguard service, so I doubt they'll accept you just to protect you."

"But I know things! I visited Hueco Mundo 2 weeks ago! I have information, things the Soul Reapers can use! I can help, really! I can even get samples of technology!" he begged, his eyes taking on an air of relief as he knew he had something of value.

"Well, that's true…come on, get up. It's hurting me to watch you beg on your knees like a dog." He smiled at my request, getting shakily onto his two feet.

"Does that mean…you'll do it? You'll tell the others?" he whispered, finally considering that others could have heard.

"Renji, I think YOU should tell them. Really, I've already confessed my hollow-hood once, so I don't want to do it for you." I scoffed, hearing him cough in surprise behind me as we walked. He looked quite disappointed, which of course, being as kind and charismatic as I am, I felt a little bad. "But, I can be there when you do it."

"Ah-! Really?" he asked, perking up a little.

"Sure. Us hollows gotta help each other out." I said, laughing a little. He laughed too.


	27. Chapter 27: Confession

It was a day like any other day. Leaves skittered across the ground in the mid-afternoon breeze. Small animals chirped from the bushes. Clouds lazily puttered across the sky, observing the scenery below. It was a perfect day in the Soul Society. And Renji was acting as if it were the last day of his life.

"Calm down, Renji. It'll be fine," I told him. He had been madly pacing my kitchen floor for the past 30 minutes or so, and I could just start to see the track lines in the nice wood.

"I can't help it…today is the day of reckoning…they could execute me…" Renji moaned, wringing his hands.

"Well then, just offer yourself up as a scientific object. They might want to compare two Arroncars." I had been trying my best to quell the mad beast for the entire day, but there was no helping the fellow. He looked distraught, even on a day such as this.

"You don't understand! You've always had it made!" Renji suddenly burst, his face becoming red with anxiety. "Even in Hueco Mundo, you were one of the toughest things around. You've always been able to have people flock to you, instantly befriending anyone!"

"Are you done ranting? I would like to get this whole confession thing started, you know…" I responded dryly, just wanting to get him out of my house.

"There's no hope for me…" Renji sighed, becoming depressed again. I wondered if mood swings was a part of being stressed.

"Well, my wooden floor can't take this kind of abuse anymore. Come on," I said, grabbing the back of his shirt. "Your public is waiting." After being reluctantly dragged out of my house and into the streets, he tensed up and wouldn't move his legs. After a bit of pulling and shoving, I managed to get him to the central building, where everyone was gathered. I had told them there was an important message to be heard from one of my subjects, so of course they'd have come.

"I can't do this!" Renji sputtered, digging his heels into the floor of the building.

"Come on, Renji! In the anime, you were so tough and cool! This isn't like you at all!" I whined, throwing him forward towards the announcement platform. He hit the guard rail, cornered between the crowd and me. "Renji has an important announcement to make!" I called, attracting everyone's attention.

"Ack! Ah…um…" Renji searched for the words, but seemed lost in a place more familiar to him than his own home.

"What is it Renji?" One of the patrons below called, inciting supportive quips from the surrounding groups.

"Well…um…this isn't easy, but…" Renji was still scrambling for words, but for a life or death situation, he seemed to be managing. "I…I am not like the rest of you…"

The crowd murmured and whispered, confused as to what he meant by such a blatant statement. Not like us? What could he possibly mean?

"I have been lying to all of you..." he said, quietly, getting startled looks from the patrons. You ever think about it, where when you are faced with a confession, you suddenly just let it all out? I sort of saw that in Renji at the moment. He didn't seem frightened or depressed anymore. Just weary.

"I am an Arroncar."

His voice resonated across the crowd, silencing all of their whispers and turning even the most distracted of heads. They looked genuinely surprised, but didn't seem bothered. He continued on with how he had spawned in Hueco Mundo after the Soul Reapers had missed him, and how he had been secretly ushered into the Soul Society as a Soul Reaper.

"I hope you will all understand, and forgive me for not saying anything…" he said quietly, bowing his head in a single, solemn motion of apology. The groups were silent for a long time, contemplating whether to trust him or abandon him.

"Well, you're just like Captain Shiffer then." A small girl in the crowd, the pink haired one that always sat on Zaraki's shoulders, spoke up, startling all the others. After they had processed what they had said, they seemed softer, more welcoming.

Stepping forward, I decided to make an appearance. "Yes, indeed. He is in the same position as I was all that time ago. As the captain of Squad 11, I do hope you will not shun him for this confession, but come to trust him even more than you previously did." I put on a nice, solitary smile, trying my best not to seem like Mephisto from Blue Exorcist. Damn, he was creepy.

"Ah…but…" Renji sputtered at all the smiling faces, seemingly startled by their welcome expressions. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Afraid of Renji? Of course not!" Said a guy in the back, piping up from his hidden position. A wave of giggles escaped the patrons, loosening the tension. Renji stood before them, made anew by his removed secret. His face lit up with hope, and a genuine smile danced across his face. A smile he hadn't made in a very long time.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**I don't own Blue Exorcist! It's okay if you don't know what it is, I just thought of making a reference. _**


	28. Chapter 28: Capture

Taking a look at it all now, everything was back to normal. I would do the usual, which mostly consisted of marking papers and strolling around the Serete grounds. The other soul reapers would go to the human world as scheduled. Renji was fitting in nicely with his new group of friends. Everything was…nice. Nicer than it had been in a long time, anyways. Rukia had even been returned to the Serete, and after some negotiation, was dropped of all charges. The Serete was complete again.

But alas, all nice things eventually come to a devastating, horrible end. I still had a Hueco Mundo full of Arroncars after me. So far, the spiritual wall of the Soul Society seemed to be keeping them at bay, but I was still getting small signs of their presence. Skull-shaped markings scratched into the door of my shack, mysterious damages had appeared on respectful buildings, belongings taken from my desk. It was all very strange.

So, of course, I had been extra paranoid lately. Even more paranoid than usual. I would no longer take routine trips to the human world, just to clear up any missed hollows, or stay out in the Roukon District for too long. I was nice and sheltered inside my little hut that was the Serete. No one could get me here.

I kept my weapons honed and sharp, and my senses even sharper. I couldn't take any chances that could lead to my eminent demise. I thought I would be safe from anything. Turns out we're all wrong sometimes.

I was strolling along one day, making sure to peek over my shoulder every block or two, when something hit me. The smell of sulphur. This, of course, almost ripped the hairs out of the back of my neck, as a sulphuric smell appeared every time an Arroncar used the Rift to teleport somewhere. Scrambling to find the source of it, I did several 360 turns, but to no avail. The smell was stronger than ever now, but I couldn't pinpoint its source.

As I was about to dismiss the strange smell, a blade suddenly appeared out of nowhere, spearing me through the ribs. It wasn't a mortal wound, but whoever had launched the attack had been aiming for my heart. Struggling to turn around so I could look my attacker in the eye, I was caught surprised and mystified. The blade really had come out of nowhere, as if the wind in the atmosphere had equipped it. Wiping the blood from my lips, a sudden realisation befell me. The Arroncars could enter the Soul Society through teleportation. It all made sense now. How could I have been so blind?

These last thoughts spiraled away from me as I was yanked backwards into empty space, falling through the rift of some unknown Arroncar.

When I awoke, it didn't surprise me that I would be tied up in my old bedroom. I barely remembered the furniture, the colors and shapes evading my memory. It was all so terrible. How did I ever live in a place like this? The colors were bleak and dark, and not even a window sat in one of the walls. It truly was as if I were in a dank, black hole. Groaning and sitting up, I saw that my wounds were left un-bandaged, my white tunic stained crimson by my blood.

My hands were shackled to the wall, the metal biting deep into my skin, leaving circular red scores. Looking around, I saw that despite the suffocating enclosure, someone else was in the room.

"Who's there…?" I called out carefully, trying not to sound too defiant. No one answered for long enough that I got the impression that I was alone, until someone walked forward. I couldn't see who it was because of the low lighting, although somehow I knew it was Hallibell. Just a feeling.

As I craned my neck up to see if I was correct, a steel-toed boot whipped across my face, rattling my teeth and spinning my vision. It was indeed Hallibell. Careful to keep my face pointed to the ground, as not to incite her wrath again, the room was suddenly illuminated. The door had opened, several Arroncars pouring in. I didn't recognise any of them, as they were most likely new recruits of the Arroncar establishment.

They formed a semi-circle around me, as if I would bolt away and escape any minute. Carefully looking up, I saw Hallibell looking down at me. She didn't look very pleased, but then again, she didn't really have a reason to.

"Ulquiorra. Do you know why you are here?" She asked, looking even more irritated when I didn't answer right away. I didn't even really want to answer. In fact, I didn't feel like speaking at all. I was silently readying myself for the long and painful death that awaited me. Betrayal of the Arroncar Clan was one of the worst crimes to commit in an Arroncars existence. I had been doing it for such a long time, you could tack multiple charges of it onto my name.

"You disgust me." Her words were harsh, but everyone's shared hateful gaze was even harsher. I could feel the heat of their hate on my like the light of a candle. Except instead of dwindling, the candle was growing into a fiery inferno of hatred and despise.

"Indeed, you have committed the _very_ worst assault against Arroncar in general. For that, I should kill you a thousand times over. And believe me, I shall do everything in my power to accomplish that. But for now, I have a proposition to make." I was surprised for a moment to see that I was still alive and not splattered against my old walls.

"You are very familiar with the Soul Reapers. So much so that they would trust their lives to you. So instead of living a hundred lives of pain and suffering, perhaps you could do some betrayal in our favour?"


	29. Chapter 29: Invasion

"I…I'm not going to betray anyone!" I choked, suddenly aware of a foreign pressure building in my chest. "You can't make me!"

"Dear little Ulquiorra, you shall soon eat those words. I have many means of getting exactly what I want from you. Best watch your tongue," Hallibell spat, getting chuckles from the Arroncars around her. "Or I may relieve you of it."

It seemed that Hallibell had gone completely retarded in the time I had been gone. I was just about to repeat these thoughts aloud, but decided otherwise.

"Well? You can follow my orders with your will intact or become a deranged puppet, left to my disposal. What do you say?" Hallibell crooned. I knew she was grinning behind her jacket.

"Screw you…" I muttered, enjoying the disgusted look on her face.

"Too bad." She turned and nodded to one of her companions, a strange fellow with pink hair. He had the demeanor of a child. "You may begin."

With a shockingly wide grin from the Arroncar, I felt a searing heat crawl its way into my chest. It felt as if every cell in my body was on fire, and I found myself losing consciousness. I fought to keep my eyes open, just to see what was happening, when I felt myself locked in to an unfamiliar place. My vision went black, and I was sucked into a long spiral that whipped my downwards, into darkness.

I didn't remember opening my eyes, although it seemed as if I had regained consciousness again. Surveying my surroundings, I saw that I was basically standing on nothing; just endless black. I could feel a solid floor underneath me, but I could see nothing there. Looking around, I saw a giant white wall to my right. It was just standing there, without support or anything. What was most strange of all was that through the wall, I could see Hallibell and all her Arroncar cronies. The Arroncar with the pink hair was collapsed on the ground, unmoving. Looking around me, I saw that he was positioned right in front of the wall, controlling my actions.

The pink guy straightened his legs, and the image shifted, my body standing up.

"Good." The cold voice of Hallibell floated through the darkness, and the image shifted more, making itself level with Hallibell. Then a cold realization struck me. I was seeing these images as if they were seen through _my own eyes_. But that was impossible…

"Are you completely in control?" Hallibell asked the pink guy through my body. He nodded, a grin splitting his face. My body did, too. "Ulquiorra, I know you're in there. I have successfully pushed your consciousness out of your shell of a body, and replaced it with one of my Arroncars. He has complete control of your body, and all you can do is watch as he destroys your world. You are helpless," Hallibell droned on, letting out a chuckle.

"What is this?" I screamed at the floating wall.

"You can scream and moan all you want inside your own imagination, but no one on the outside can hear you." She chuckled and gave a flick of her hand, ordering all the Arroncars into the hallway. My body's legs followed them, bent on obeying her orders.

"Oh, Ulquiorra. I'm sure you miss all of your Soul Reaper friends terribly. I think it's about time for a visit," Hallibell chuckled coldly. "Go to the Soul Society. For the first week or so you will be on reconnaissance. After I have collected enough information, I will send you a signal."

My body nodded, and I recognized the familiar ripping sound of the Rift swallowing me. After a few moments of observing the great, white globe, Pinky selected the Roukon District, and we were sucked away into the whiteness.

"Get out of my body!" I yelled at Pinky, who merely chuckled. He looked absolutely insane.

"I said _get out!"_ I lunged forward, swinging my fist towards him. I stumbled forward, my fist merely sailing through the air. He was like a ghost, nothing able to touch him.

"You must really enjoy being with these scum…" Pinky laughed, walking through the disheveled shacks of the District.

"Screw off, Pinky!"

"It's Szayel, you ignorant buffoon," he scoffed, and continued walking.

"I don't care what your name is! Go away!" I yelled, rage boiling inside me.

"Well, that might be difficult, considering I am you." He laughed heartily, without any worries. "Now, let's go and say hello to your friends, shall we?"


End file.
